Jeff’s Top 13 Horror Films of 2017: #8

#8

The Lure

In Warsaw, a pair of mermaid sisters are adopted into a cabaret. While one seeks love with humans the other hungers to dine on the human population of the city. It's a bloody mermaid musical from Poland! Ok so they are actually sirens, you know, like the ones from Greek mythology that sings sailors to their death? The Lure answers the question, what if Ariel was really a man eater and brought a friend to Poland on the quest for a meal and fell in love with a musician that would reject her because she was not like other girls? Lets add in psychedelic strip music and a seedy sea creature underworld and you have a horror musical that even Terrance Zdunich can appreciate. The film is in Polish, but there are plenty of subtitles to get us by. Although I personally found it very entertaining that many of the songs lyrics come out looking like bad google translations, what with feeling something in their kidneys and such. Or better yet, the happily sung song about sadness at a wedding. Much of this movie is being torn between humor and horror at regular intervals. To be honest I'm really hoping that Zdunich is in talks with the filmmakers to Americanize and take The Lure on the road. After all, Silver and Golden were headed this way before love got in the way. For the sake of experiencing a truly original twist on a well known story make sure you experience this once in a lifetime ode to fish love, a sick twist on the Disney tale, with ultimate sacrifice, and blood. The Lure should be ripping out throats and hearts everywhere.

joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2017.... #9

Every year, you never know what the horror genre is going to unleash upon the world. You have an unsuspecting audience, just waiting to have their deepest and darkest fears manipulated.... all in the comfort of an air conditioned theater or their home. Not every year has been full of winners, some have proven to be better than others, but 2017 has yielded some very interesting genre fare that is full of a little bit of everything under the sun. My fellow creeps, I've put together what I feel (in my humble opinion) to be the best of the best for this year. There were a few that were nudged out by only inches and that's not a bad thing. It just proves that there are more stories to tell and makes me dream about all the amazing scares yet to come. So, without further adieu, I give you my top 13 horror films of 2017! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2016.)

9) 'The Devil's Candy'

Sometimes a movie gets some preliminary press that makes you wonder if it'll live up to the hype? This film is one of those examples. I saw stills from it and was hearing a lot of buzz on the various horror forums I belong too. When it finally came down to watching it, I did my best to keep my expectations low. The reality was, it lived up to almost all of the hype. It was heartfelt, dark, well made and overall a really solid piece of horror film making. It had a few moments, especially towards the end, where it lost a little steam, but overall.... it earned a position on my list. If you've never seen this one, then you're in for a treat. It's a new twist on an old theme and one that will stick with you, after the credits roll.



Suggested snack to eat while watching: candy, of course

Jeff’s Top 13 Horror Films of 2017: #9

#9

A Cure for Wellness

You can’t help but feel like you’re watching something like Shudder Island. Thankfully that is not the case. A Cure for Wellness marks a triumphant return for gothic style horror that includes striking visuals, an empathetic monster, and a twisted love story full of claustrophobically mind bending moments. It's a story that could only come from the mind of anyone other than the one it did. Gore Verbinski is not known for his thought provoking, mind bending horror. Pirates of the Caribbean is hardly the type of film you’d see on this list and Rango… Even the Ring, although qualifiably horror, was pretty much established before he got his hands on it. So when a film like A Cure for Wellness comes again it gets noticed, and may have shown us where Verbinski’s art should be concentrated. Another horror movie that I loved but only need to see once because it disturbed me that much.

joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2017.... #10

Every year, you never know what the horror genre is going to unleash upon the world. You have an unsuspecting audience, just waiting to have their deepest and darkest fears manipulated.... all in the comfort of an air conditioned theater or their home. Not every year has been full of winners, some have proven to be better than others, but 2017 has yielded some very interesting genre fare that is full of a little bit of everything under the sun. My fellow creeps, I've put together what I feel (in my humble opinion) to be the best of the best for this year. There were a few that were nudged out by only inches and that's not a bad thing. It just proves that there are more stories to tell and makes me dream about all the amazing scares yet to come. So, without further adieu, I give you my top 13 horror films of 2017! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2016.)

10) 'Little Evil'

Another Netflix original film, makes the grade. This company continues to impress me with the quality of material it's producing. Granted, they seem to be farming the best talent out there, to create their content. This time around it's Eli Craig, the man behind 'Tucker and Dale vs Evil'. While this one may not be as entirely original as that was, it none the less holds its own. A horror comedy that turns parenthood on it's ear. Funny, gruesome and just a giant bag of fun, Adam Scott fills the screen with his charisma and sells the story hook, line and sinker. There's not enough good horror comedy out there these days and it's one of my favorite branches of the horror family tree. There's nothing quite like jumping from a bloody death to a belly laugh. It's what makes the genre something fun to come back to time and time again.



Suggested snack to eat while watching: slightly burned birthday cake

Jeff’s Top 13 Horror Films of 2017: #10

#10

Better Watch Out

It’s very rare that I would even consider a Christmas film for my best of list. I believe it was just a few years ago that Krampus received an honorary mention. To me it seems that these types of films are only good for a specific time of year and therefore not something you can just watch anytime. Better Watch Out, while definitely a Christmas film, does not require Christmas to be a lasting horror film. In this case, much like Halloween, it just happens to be Christmas,  yes the elements of the holiday are used Home Alone style, but I trust this film would happily embrace every holiday. Anyway, Ashley travels to the suburban home of the Lerners to baby-sit their 12-year-old son Luke at Christmastime. She must soon defend herself and the young boy when unwelcome intruders announce their arrival. This is where it gets very difficult to talk about what makes this film so clever and entertaining without spoilers. But let's just say that though the twist is not so much a surprise as it is an introduction to a twisted manipulative killer we hope to see more of.

It's Time for a Terror Time Out Featuring 'New Year's Evil' 1980

One picture alone tells a story and a horror film is full of still frames that stand out as works of art. A Terror Time out is when we feature a still from one of those films. Here is this weeks frame of horror fame.

Oh the glorious 80's slashers. NYE probably has the best mask in horror film in this scene right here. You can tell this is fun loving New Year's party goer.

joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2017.... #11

Every year, you never know what the horror genre is going to unleash upon the world. You have an unsuspecting audience, just waiting to have their deepest and darkest fears manipulated.... all in the comfort of an air conditioned theater or their home. Not every year has been full of winners, some have proven to be better than others, but 2017 has yielded some very interesting genre fare that is full of a little bit of everything under the sun. My fellow creeps, I've put together what I feel (in my humble opinion) to be the best of the best for this year. There were a few that were nudged out by only inches and that's not a bad thing. It just proves that there are more stories to tell and makes me dream about all the amazing scares yet to come. So, without further adieu, I give you my top 13 horror films of 2017! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2016.)

11) 'The Axe Murders of Villisca'

This is the dark horse of my list. Think of it as the 'Little Film That Could'. Written and directed by Tony E. Valenzuela, a man who's resume is full of television credits, he was a bit of an unproven talent in the film world. I came across this one through a connection with Sean Whalen on Facebook. He was promoting the film and the plot intrigued me. My expectations were fairly low, but by the end of it and having time to process it, I realized how genius it was. I've already written a full review on it, as it spoke to me and could potentially speak to a lot of other horror film fans as well. This is one of the new generation of more thoughtful horror movies, a kin to the 'Deathwave' movement and one that has me hopeful for whatever Mr. Valenzuela has to offer in the future.



Suggested snack to eat while watching: a bottle of wine and some peanut butter