2019 is sad because everyone’s doing Best of the Decade lists & forgetting about it. Well not me. Here are the horror films from the past year that I like best, in ascending order from least best to most best.
10. The Perfection
I had a very fun time watching this & an even better time describing it to others. Regardless of what Vincenzo Natali intended for the film, it works beautifully as high camp. Watch it with some wine & some bitchy friends.
Listen to our episode on The Perfection here.
9. The Field Guide to Evil
The finest anthology of 2019 was this collection of folktales from from an impressive list of international filmmakers, including Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy), Can Evrenol (Baskin) & Peter Strickland (In Fabric). It’s by turns bizarre, awkwardly funny & disgusting, & of course, creepy.
Listen to our episode on The Field Guide to Evil here.
8. Knife + Heart
A treat for fans of Giallo, this slasher is awash in lurid colors and full of sly humor. How this didn’t make it onto John Waters’ favorite films of 2019 is beyond me.
7. Greta
One of the only good things about 2019 is that not one but two delightfully campy movies got wide releases - one on Netflix (see #10) & this one, which somehow made it into multiplexes. If you haven’t seen Isabelle Huppert scamper about with a kitchen knife on the big screen then you have not lived.
6. Ready or Not
AKA the movie that introduced me to the fabulous Samara Weaving. It’s also the movie that proved the guys from Radio Silence could make a feature film as good as their shorts.
Listen to our episode on Ready or Not here.
5. Piercing
Raise your hand if you still think of The Eyes of My Mother from time to time. Yeah, me too. In Pesce’s directorial follow-up we’re again introduced to a strange, lonely person with… let’s just say unique interests. Instead of living hidden away from civilization, the lead in this film hides in plain sight, only revealing who he truly is to his victims in their last moments. The other distinct difference is that this lead finds someone just as strange as he is. It’s kind of a happy ending instead of Eyes’s tragic one. Happy if you’re a weirdo, anyway.
Listen to our episode on Piercing here.
4. One Cut of the Dead
The only film as clever as this one in 2019 was Parasite, & that’s the most lauded movie of the year. Not too shabby, One Cut of the Dead. This is maybe the best love letter to filmmaking to come out this decade, & yes, I’ve seen Hugo.
3. Us
Jordan Peele excels at so many things you almost want to hate him. How can someone be so good at both comedy & horror, AND have the ability to meld the two together so seamlessly? Sure, Us plays pretty fast & loose with logic., & isn’t quite as perfectly structured as Get Out. It’s also a good deal scarier & more visually impressive than his feature debut.
Listen to our episode on Us here.
2. Midsommar
The feel-good movie of the year, if you’re in need of some vicarious catharsis. Aster is great at highlighting the absurdity of death & grief, both in this film & in Hereditary. It just took seeing this one for me to pick up on those aspects of Hereditary. I’m still not sure which of the two I like more, but I look forward to watching this one again to try to figure it out.
Listen to our episode on Midsommar here.
1. The Lighthouse
As I’ve said time & time again, I’m a sucker for a pretty movie. Looking at my top two picks should prove that to you. The Lighthouse gets the top spot because, in addition to the gorgeous black & white & that amazing lighting, the movie’s also creepy & extremely funny. And I haven’t even mentioned the score! I never would have thought that a movie with this many farts could be this good.
Listen to our episode on The Lighthouse here.