There were fewer horror films in 2018 than ordinary, but amongst them were some truly unforgettable ones. Such as the top title on this list, Ari Aster's "Hereditary." Yes, a really great horror film, but it's also simply a great film. Great in the way it connects supernatural events and evil demonic possession to mental health issues and grief. But also great in the way it is made, with such sure footing with regards its visual, emotional and tonal impact, and with such strong acting, particularly from Toni Collette, giving us her best work in years. There are aspects of "Hereditary" that reminded me of Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" and Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," which is all the more impressive when you consider that those films were made by master filmmakers at the height of their careers and creative development, whereas this is Aster's debut. The question of whether he will be able to top this extraordinary accomplishment, which is frankly one of the best horror films I've ever seen (and I've seen them all), remains to be answered.
SUSPIRIA
Luca Guadagnino's loose remake of Dario Argento's (somewhat overrated) horror classic "Suspiria" is a perfect example of how to go about remaking movies, particularly movies that cannot really be much improved upon. In Guadagnino's very capable hands the story has been completely re-imagined and bears only the most basic similarities to the original. That's the right way to do a remake. Give it a personal twist, make it your own, make it into something new, don't just update or repeat what was already there. Proper fans of the original were likely disappointed, but some of us who are more open-minded got what we were hoping for, which is more of a version of "Suspiria" than a traditional remake. It helps that this version takes place in such a fascinating place and time period, i.e. Munich in the late 1970s, and Tilda Swinton's triple role is truly an inspired choice. Also, I always find it interesting to see what a filmmaker not usually associated with horror films can contribute to the genre. It's rare, but sometimes, those are the best ones.
A QUIET PLACE
Upon first going into John Krasinski's highly acclaimed monster movie "A Quiet Place," I was thoroughly intrigued by the concept of a world full of eyeless monsters that hunt by sound where you have to be absolutely quiet to survive. But my initial excitement was tinged with scepticism - could this novel concept be entertaining for more than ten minutes? Suddenly, ninety intense minutes had gone by without my noticing it. That's how excellent "A Quiet Place" is. Whereas a lesser script would, as is often the case, not use such an original idea in the right way, this is fortunately not the case. One of the best movies of the year, in all categories, "A Quiet Place" has at the time of this composition been extended into a sequel and we will have to wait until 2020 to see whether both Krasinski and the concept is strong enough to warrant a continuation of a story that kind of feels sufficient as is.
APOSTLE
Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans made a name for himself directing Indonesian martial art films, especially the international hit "The Raid" and its sequel, and in 2018 he brought us his first film in English, "Apostle." A horror film that owes a lot to "The Wicker Man," a classic in what some have called folk horror, "Apostle" stars Dan Stevens in one of the best roles of his career to date as a drug addict and soldier who is sent to a remote island ruled by a religious cult to rescue his sister in the early part of the 20th century. Evans brings his experience shooting martial arts scenes to bear on the action, which is sparsely doled out in a few incredibly tense and thrilling moments. Like the title above this one on the list, "Apostle" is not the scariest film of the year, but like the former, it's really great horror film making.
GHOSTLAND
French filmmaker Pascal Laugier, having been an integral part of the New French Extremity movement (look it up!) with his masterpiece "Martyrs" from 2008, finally gave us another great piece, his second film in the US, "Ghostland." Seeing as how his first English-language film "The Tall Man" from 2012 was a dud, this was a truly welcome surprise that shows he's still got it. Although the film it surrounded by a tragic accident that disfigured one of its actors, "Ghostland" is a thoroughly enjoyable chiller. How can you not love a film that actually features H P Lovecraft himself? Well, not the actual man, but you get it. Our heroine Beth is a young woman who dreams of becoming a horror author, and her idol is Lovecraft, and after surviving a terrifying home invasion in her mother's new house, she grows up to become a successful writer and finally gets to meet her idol ... at which point we start to realize that there is something wrong here. Like "Martyrs," "Ghostland" may not be for all tastes, but if you like suspense, horror films with a European tinge or Lovecraft, you should dig it as much as we did.
HALLOWEEN
Forty years on, John Carpenter's slasher classic finally gets the sequel it deserves. There is much to be happy about in David Gordon Green's "Halloween," where Michael Myers is alive and well and looking to finish the job he started back in 1978 and finally getting to kill Laurie Strode, who it turns out is pretty well prepared, having turned into quite the prepper. Here's a further example of a director who usually makes indie dramas and comedies turning in a very stylish and all-round top notch horror film without any previous experience in the subject matter. Also, it seems that in his long comedy career, Danny McBride, contributing on the screenplay, has harbored a secret talent for horror. I'm not embarrassed to say I was a fan of Rob Zombie's version of "Halloween" from 2007, but I have to admit that this is the best update, true in every respect to Carpenter's vision and both seriously retro and very 2018, which is perfect for horror.
WINCHESTER
Nothing's better for horror than a creepy house, except perhaps for a creepy forest. The house in the Spierig Brothers' latest "Winchester" is a great house, made even more so by the fact that it exists for real in San Jose, California, where the widow of the owner of the Winchester rifle company lived and went insane, so to speak, remodeling the house in an intently bizarre way to confuse the ghosts she claimed were haunting her. In the film, as in reality, Sarah Winchester has builders working on the house all day and all night, every day. Maybe she just didn't want to be alone in that big mansion? The Winchester house is such a great concept for a horror film, in which the widow is visited by a psychologist sent there by the Winchester company to ascertain if she is unfit to run her company, that the film's many shortcomings hardly matter. "Winchester," like the following title on this list, is proof that a great location is often enough for an enjoyable horror flick.
THE NUN
The setting is also the USP of Corin Hardy's spin-off of James Wan's "The Conjuring" series, "The Nun." Although the story and characters are as thin as thin can get, the setting carries most of the weight because it is really creepy and atmospheric in that old gothic cathedral and the misty Romanian grounds and forests surrounding it. But the main reason "The Nun" works and became such a hit at the box office is not the location but the eponymous nun, who will surely go down in horror history as one of the creepiest and most unforgettable movie demons since Pazazu (that's from "The Exorcist," fyi). Exorcism movies are not my favorite horror subgenre, but when done well, they can be really scary. Despite all of its faults, "The Nun" does fullfil that criterion in the end, and that's the main thing.
OVERLORD
For someone who played "Return to Castle Wolfenstein" incessantly back in 2001, it's always fun to see Nazis dabble in the occult on film, and Julius Avery's "Overlord" reminds me both of said video game and 2013's "Frankenstein's Army," albeit with a bigger budget, better actors and one of the coolest opening scenes in a WWII movie since "Saving Private Ryan," in which the movie's protagonists gets shot down over the French countryside, a scene that had me on the edge of my seat and made me want to watch it again instantly. With an outlandish story, great visual effects and make-up effects, a healthy dose of humor and a pace and editing that manages to maintain the intensity and fun of that opener, "Overlord" is a blast. That shouldn't have been a surprise though, considering it's a J. J. Abrams production.
MALEVOLENT
An unexpected surprise of the year was this British ghost movie on Netflix that is somewhat similar to the masterpiece "Ouija: Origin of Evil," amongst other things. Olaf de Fleur Johannesson's indie horror, about a con artist medium who suddenly comes across a proper haunting while on a routine case, is good both in style and story. It helps that it stars Florence Pugh, one of the hottest young British actresses out there at the moment with the miniseries "The Little Drummer Girl" and the before-mentioned Ari Aster's latest film "Midsommar," and Celia Imrie, one of the top acting dames of the UK as the malevolent older lady that is seeking the medium's services. Anything with these two geniuses in it would be watchable, but "Malevolent" is actually a very good and quite scary movie, though it doesn't make the most noise on the market and runs the risk of being lost in the surplus of content out there on the streaming services, which is why it deserves to be recommended whenever possible.
