2017, and 2018 to some extent, have been good years for Stephen King and his fans. On this list alone I've selected two very well-made adaptations of his works. There are several reasons why Andy Muschietti's It is so great, including moving the plot forward to 1989 instead of 1958, the excellent collection of child actors in the leading roles, the decision to adapt it into two films where the upcoming sequel will adapt the second part of the novel, and the creepy and fun scares, topped by a satisfyingly grotesque portrayal of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
GET OUT
By definition, a horror film is a film that is meant to elicit fear in the viewer. The horror on display in Jordan Peele's now legendary Get Out is, in my humble opinion, too specific to induce fear in anyone who cannot directly relate to racism and the concept of slavery, particular in relation to American history. However, Peele plays with the style of horror so well that at the least, one would have to define Get Out as a new type of horror, one which takes satire to extreme levels. Of course it is also too political and important not to be included on any list covering the horror genre, despite how untraditional of a horror movie it is.
GERALD'S GAME
Netflix has become a reliable purveyor of genre material, as evidenced by the fact that there are three movies on this list that are distributed by the streaming service. The first is this Stephen King adaptation, much darker and more serious in tone than It at the top of this list, which is largely down to director Mike Flanagan, who has quickly become one of the most celebrated and respected horror film makers in the world over the past couple of years, thanks to excellent movies like Oculus, Hush and Ouija: Origin of Evil. Gerald's Game, the psychologically terrifying story about a bondage game gone wrong that leaves a woman chained to a bed all alone, is so good that it has already put Flanagan on pole position in his game.
GHOST STORIES
Sometimes, the old ones are best, even in horror. Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson's Ghost Stories, based on their play, is a callback to classic British horror of old, done with both style, intelligence, wit and very creepy ideas. That we would ever see a horror movie based on a stage play is in itself quite unexpected, let alone one this good. Anthology films are quite common in horror (Creepshow, V/H/S, Three...Extremes, amongst others), but they usually contain one or two good stories and a lot of waste of time. Ghost Stories tells three creepy little tales in the context of a great frame story, one that in the end sheds a different light on everything. Great to see more and more horror movies that aren't afraid to be clever.
ANNABELLE: CREATION
After his breakthrough in horror with Lights Out in 2016, I was very excited to see what fellow Swede David F. Sandberg would be doing next. That he would turn out a sequel to a rather mediocre spinoff from the otherwise excellent The Conjuring films, i.e. 2014's Annabelle, did not sound very promising to begin with. But the result was much better than expected, one of the best scary movies of the year, which goes to show that all a good horror movie needs is a capable film maker who understands the concept of horror and knows how to create it; not with jump scares and violence, but with atmosphere, realism and building tension.
THE RITUAL
Another Netflix release on this list, this story of a group of backpackers getting lost in the Scandinavian wild and stumbling upon an ancient cult and a godlike monster may sound like somewhat of a Blair Witch Project ripoff, and the Balkan forest that stands in for Sweden is too dissimilar of a setting to be believable. But, The Ritual works, it's creepy and well-made, and the monster at the end of the film is perhaps one of the best of its kind I've seen in a while. In a horror film like this, where the whole experience hinges on the reveal of the demon or the monster or whatever, it is essential that the thing is at least interesting and memorable, and the mythological beast in The Ritual certainly is.
MARROWBONE
I've always said that the best horror films are tragedies at heart. For example, see Sergio G. Sánchez's directorial debut Marrowbone. Sánchez was the writer behind J.A. Bayona's successful films The Orphanage and The Impossible, so we already know he can write a good film. His film direction leaves a little to be desired, for the film suffers from an uneven pace. But Marrowbone has so many good things in its favour to warrant a view and praise, one of which is an excellent cast of young British horror actors, consisting of George MacKay (11.22.63), Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness) and Charlie Heaton (Stranger Things). Most importantly, after the scares are over and the creepy mysteries are explained, Marrowbone tells a heartbreakingly sad story about family, love and loss.
VERÓNICA
The third Netflix release on this list, the Spanish Verónica, has been touted as "the scariest horror film ever." This it is not, not by a long shot, but it is definitely one of the best scary films of 2017, which is not a surprise considering it's the new work of Paco Plaza, the creator of REC (which actually is one of the scariest films of all time, and most innovative and best to boot). Verónica also purports to tell a true story, loosely based on a case of a teenage girl in Madrid in the early 1990s who died mysteriously after playing around with a ouija board. This too should taken with a grain of salt. Just expect a well-made demonic possession story from an unusual corner of the world with subtle frights and creepy atmosphere and I imagine you'll be properly satisfied with your viewing.
JIGSAW
There were a couple of disappointments in 2017 for horror fans. I'm thinking of both Rings and Leatherface, promising horror movies that didn't deliver. An unexpected surprise though came in the form of Jigsaw, the eighth installment in the franchise, but actually the only watchable one since perhaps the second or third Saw. This was largely thanks to the reappearance of Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, who has helped make the Jigsaw killer a substantial part of horror cinema lore, despite whatever you make think of the quality of the films per se. The Spierig Brothers, who previously made a name for themselves with a small masterpiece called Predestination in 2014 have against all odds turned out a rather clever and entertaining Saw film, which I for one did not expect to see again.
THE EVIL WITHIN
As amateur horror movies go, The Evil Within isn't all that bad. However, it is still an amateur movie, not on the level of The Room or some such absurdly bad flick, but still far from the best film on this list. Maybe it is in fact the fascinating story behind the making of this macabre nightmarish portrayal of a mentally challenged man's descent into serial killer madness, because it is the life work of a drug addicted millionaire named Andrew Getty (yes, that Getty) who made the film without any experience, with his own money, and died before he could complete it. Considering its bizarre back story, it's a small miracle that The Evil Within is even watchable, but it is, and I think it deserves a special mention because it is at times a truly unique horror movie, with some quite psychedelic and unforgettable imagery. Just don't expect a masterpiece is all.
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