Any horror movie fan you speak to will tell you that the last decade has been incredible for the genre. And so, what’s the deal? Well firstly, everything that’s coming out seems to be directed by filmmakers that know their horror, cinephiles in fact. These are filmmakers that are allergic to clichés. The genre was in dire need of new blood, and we found it with new talented directors that seemed to be inspired by the works of John Carpenter, Stanley Kubrick, and David Cronenberg.
Read more"You're Next" and 40 years of Horror
If You're Next was a world premiere at this year's Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal, there was a very good reason why that fest's organizers decided to choose it as one of its selections, alongside Simon Pegg's The World's End (I'll get to that one later) and The Conjuring (read a few posts below). You're Next is the second horror movie to have gotten solid reviews this summer -after The Conjuring. That's two films, compared to other years where you would get none all year. You see, critics usually - coldy- receive films of the horror genre with not much excitement. I don't blame them. Horror has become somewhat of a joke in the last 20 years, retreading cliche after cliche and typically using the same structure to build up its narrative. A film like The Conjuring is not groundbreaking stuff but it smartly avoids the usual trappings of a horror movie by focusing more on the psychological aspect of its story. Psychological horror (cue masterful examples such as The Sixth Sense and The Others.)
You're Next on the other hand -slyly directed by indie director Adam Wingard- has no subtlety YET it works! Wingard's film works because unlike many horror films these days, there is a character -or two- that you genuinely care about. Erin is that character, played by kick-ass Aussie Sharni Vinson. Erin is the heroine of the story and an all out action hottie that comes out of nowhere to win our cold, disturbed hearts. To reveal the plot of You're Next would be unfair for those that haven't seen the trailer but suffice to say that this is a home invasion film that twists home invasion cliches upside down with enough gore and twists to keep you guessing. In fact I didn't see the last minute twist coming, neither will you. This is a film that is not perfect but entertains and gives horror buffs what they came to see. I've compiled a list of the best horror films I've seen in the last 15 years or so, some choices may surprise you while others are a must for any list of this kind. I've split it in
First Things First, the essentials no matter which decade;
Psycho (1960)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Exorcist (1973)
Carrie (1976)
The Shining (1980)
The Fly (1986)
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
1999-2012
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
American Psycho (2000)
The Others (2001)
Joy Ride (2001)
Frailty (2002)
Cabin Fever (2003)
28 Days Later (2003)
Red Eye (2005)
The Devil's Rejects (2005)
The Descent (2006)
Paranormal Activity (2007)
The Mist (2007)
Bug (2007)
Funny Games (2008)
Drag Me To Hell (2009)
The Last House On The Left (2009)
Shutter Island (2010)
Antichrist (2010)
I Spit On Your Grave (2010)
Cabin In The Woods (2012)
The Woman In Black (2012)