Top 10 horror movies of 2016

1  LIGHTS OUT

There were so many great horror films in 2016 that I had to compile a list of its own. These were the ten best ones, and they're all excellent, but I put Lights Out in first place for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's made by a fellow Swede (David F. Sandberg, whose future career I will follow with interest) and the circumstances surrounding its creation are fascinating (Sandberg made a short film that went viral and then got the opportunity to expand upon it with a proper Hollywood budget by none other than horror maestro James Wan). Secondly, Lights Out is a good example of why horror stories can be so special, because the ghost here is very closely connected to mental health issues. What the best horror movies always have in common is psychological or symbolic subtext. Lastly, the ghost itself is so memorable and interesting, a malign spirit called Diana who can't stand the light and can only be seen in the dark. And that's precisely where this film should be seen, in the dark. 

2 THE CONJURING 2

Speaking of James Wan, second place on this list goes to his sequel to The Conjuring (2013), with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga once again reprising their roles as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who this time travel to England to check out another haunting (a case which actually occurred, called the Enfield Poltergeist, although in the real world, it naturally turned out to be a hoax). The Conjuring 2 is definitely one of the scariest films on this list, and it is more or less as good as its predecessor, which is highly unusual when it comes to horror. It is scary in the same way that the first film was scary, because it doesn't rely on jump scares but instead creates an atmospheric horror that builds up nicely, at the same time not skimping on the visual effects, but using them in economic and tasteful ways. Its quality is also down to the actors, particularly the girl in the family (played by Madison Wolfe) because nothing says great horror like a scary, possessed little girl.

3 THE WITCH

A young girl is at the centre of this scary movie as well, but she isn't possessed or haunted. Well, without spoiling it, I can say that she at least doesn't seem to be. Anya Taylor-Joy (who recently starred in M. Night Shyamalan's excellent thriller Split) dominates the film as the eldest daughter of a Puritan family in 17th century New England. The supernatural elements are very low-key in Robert Eggers' debut film, which is more about the fear of witches at the time than actual witchcraft. But what really makes The Witch such a remarkable viewing is the very historically realistic dialogue, which I remember reading was actually based on transcripts from witch trials recorded at the time. Of course, it wouldn't be the third best horror film on the list if it didn't also have great acting (so important in horror), cinematography, sound and set design. The potential existence of witches, even in the mists of the distant past, has never been as chilling!

4 DON'T BREATHE

If you ever saw the 2013 remake of classic horror movie The Evil Dead, and loved it as much as I did, you should've been really excited to see Don't Breathe, made by the same director, Fede Alvarez, and also starring Jane Levy, who's turning out to be a proper modern "scream queen." Reacting against the criticism that his version of Evil Dead was too gory (insane criticism, imo), Alvarez decided to make a scary movie without any gore. It also doesn't feature anything supernatural, which really makes it a thriller more than a horror movie, but I just had to include it anyway. I guess it qualifies as a "home invasion" movie, a horror subgenre of sorts. I don't want to spoil it, so I'll just say it's a movie about three young friends who break into a blind old man's house to rob him and get into more weirder danger than they were counting on. Don't Breathe deserves all the mention it can get, it's that entertainingly intense and gripping throughout.   

5 BLAIR WITCH

The Blair Witch Project, whether you like it or not, is debatedly one of the most important horror movies ever made. It sort of created the "found footage" genre, and it set a tone that almost every other horror movie since then has followed. This film, which ignores Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, the despicable attempt at a sequel/spin-off made in 2000, is the logical follow-up, wherein a group of college students, led by the younger brother of one of the documentary filmmakers from the first film, go looking for his sister, who disappeared 15 years ago. They even have the footage recorded by them in the original film. This may not the best horror film on the list, in fact it's kind of so-so for the most part, but the last twenty minutes or so, when they actually find the witch's house, are some of the most terrifying and unforgettable horror movie minutes of the year, and totally excuse the whole film and its annoying shaky selfie filmmaking.

6 I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE

Most of the selections here are quite female-centric, which is often the case with horror movies. None more so than I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, which features no one but three women, one of which is the always excellent and intriguing Ruth Wilson (from Showtime's The Affair) who plays a live-in nurse to a sick old mystery writer who lives in a haunted house. Although it falls into that category, and features several obligatory "haunted house" scenes, it's tone is very experimental, at times even quite surreal. The Netflix-distributed film is made by Osgood Perkins, who is the son of Anthony Perkins, a.k.a. Norman Bates in Psycho (1960). In other words, this is made by a man who truly understands horror movies and knows the rules, even enough to break them. It's definitely the most poetic horror movie of the year.

7 UNDER THE SHADOW

Another horror movie about a strong mother and her relationship with her child (like the excellent The Babadook from 2014, and countless others), and another excellent horror movie distributed by Netflix. Teheran in Iran is the backdrop for this supernatural drama, where evil spirits invade a home after an unexploded bomb goes through the roof, and they seem to be very keen on getting hold of the little girl's soul. So her mother has to fight tooth and nail to protect her. An Iranian-American co-production, made by Babak Anvari, who is from Iran but lives in London, Under the Shadow has a very interesting historical and political aspect to it, and a couple of memorable and remarkable scares. Defnitely one of the biggest surprises of the horror year of 2016, for me. 

8  OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL

The first Ouija from 2014 was quite forgettable, but this prequel set in the late 1960's is anything but. It contains some of the creepiest scenes of all the films on this list, once again with a possessed little girl in all of them. Said girl is Doris, daughter of a single mother who fakes seances to scam people with the help of her two daughters. One day, Doris comes across a Ouija board, and invites some pretty scary spirits into their home and ultimately, her body. Apart from the excellent horror effects, atmosphere and make-up, Ouija: Origin of Evil can boast some pretty good acting and spotless production values that makes it really look like it's from the seventies. It also has the vibe and narrative style of the horror films of that time, lovingly recreated with modern skill, and the fact that Henry Thomas (i.e. Elliott from E.T.) has a part adds to the whole retro feel of the film. But don't watch it just before bedtime!

9 TRAIN TO BUSAN

This action-packed, adrenaline-fueled super hit from South Korea has been called "World War Z on a train," and it is certainly the best way to describe it. It turned out to be one of the most profitable films in South Korea ever, and for a very good reason. It's just great! The story, about a father who's been neglecting his daughter and tries to get her to her mother when the zombie apocalypse suddenly breaks out, is moving and engaging, with characters that you can root for and even a decent message at its core, a message about kindness. Like all good zombie flicks, it has a layer of social commentary to it as well, concerning how the survivors on the train quickly split up and create a sort of hierarchy where those who consider themselves superior lock out those they consider beneath them. All said, it's a really fun ride from start to finish!

10 THE VOID

In last place is an indie horror brought to you by a team of independent filmmakers who go by the moniker Astron-6, which brings to mind 1980's horror like John Carpenter films and Stephen King novels, while at the same time being a very special homage to the legendary H.P. Lovecraft. Which is fitting, since the 1980s was the golden age for Lovecraftian horror films (like, most well-known, Re-Animator). But though this film, about a group of people who are trapped in a hospital by a murderous cult sporting creepy cowls while something monstruous starts to take over from inside the building, is an homage to said Lovecraftian horror films of the 1980s, its style isn't simply retro. It is a traditional horror movie, in that it features a lot of practical special effects rather than modern CGI effects, which is reminiscent of films by Carpenter, and films based on the writings of Lovecraft, King and Clive Barker. The fact that these horror masters were at the top of their game during the 1980s is just coincidental, for the film is not aesthetically a 1980s tribute film, not really, like for instance Stranger Things. Also nice to see a horror film with a quite psychedelic style to it, which is unfortunately rather underused these days.