Welcome to the new home of Creepercast.com. Where we let the fear creep in with all things horror genre. News, Reviews, and more! STAFF:
J.P.: Editor (EIC - Editor in Cheif), Writer (CC - Content Contributor);
Joel Kenyon: Editor (AE - Assistant Editor), Writer (CC - Content Contributor); William S Mayfield: Writer (CC - Content Contributor)
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 2018 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 2018! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2017.)
11) 'The First Purge'
I have no shame in my love of 'The Purge' franchise. The first one didn't show us enough of the world that was built. The second and third, took us out into the open and slowly shifted to a more action based horror film. With a TV show and the fourth film, the series felt like it could be bordering on over saturation of the market. Once I finally saw this entry into the series, I felt like things were still alive and well. Despite mixed reviews and some hate being thrown its way, I felt like this kept the story moving forward and was worth being counted as a continuation of the series. What makes this all work, is that the world today is creepily close to reaching this outcome. I hope we never come to that, but in the meantime, it just cranks up the tension and makes this that much more frightening.
Suggested snack to eat while watching: something to binge on, before you purge
Jeff's dead raising edition of the Creepercast's Top 13 films of 2018 continues with...
#12 UNSANE vs THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE
Sometimes we can't make up our mind between two movies and have to show our respect to both. In this case we're only talking ablout #12, To not have both of these films that are excellently choreographed with solid stories but don't quite break the top ten barrier on the list would be a crime. One is another Soderbergh mind bender and the other is a demon possession. Neither are exceptional, both are worth viewing, despite their failed hype and bad press.
UNSANE
"A young woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution, where she is confronted by her greatest fear--but is it real or a product of her delusion?"
UNSANE is an American psychological horror film directed by Steven Soderbergh (Contagion)and written by Jonathan Bernstein with James Greer. The film stars Claire Foy (Being Human), Joshua Leonard (The Blair Witch Project), Jay Pharoah (SNL), Juno Temple (Maleficent), and an expected cameo from Matt Damon. The film was shot entirely on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Soderbergh is working hard to continue to be a force in mind bending thrillers. In UNSANE he puts a stalker victim through the fight of her life. There are some obvious plot explanations that are hard to accept but Joshua Leonard delivers as a creepy stalker that is willing to go through great lengths to prove his love for his victim. We are always fans of experimental film making, and though it doesn't really prove itself well as a gimmick, Soderbergh has proven that an iPhone can shoot a very clean looking film.
Currently available in all formats.
THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE
"When a cop who is just out of rehab takes the graveyard shift in a city hospital morgue, she faces a series of bizarre, violent events caused by an evil entity in one of the corpses."
THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE in an American supernatural horror film directed by Diederik Van Rooijen (Daylight) and written by Brian Sieve (Boogeyman 3). It stars Shay Mitchell (from bit parts in teen drama tv), Kirby Johnson (as the demon possessed), Stana Katic (Castle), Grey Damon (The Devil Within) and Nick Thune (Venom).
Even though its getting panned by critics and didn't really deserve the all the fanfare their add campaign created, THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE isn't a horrible demon possession film. Its obvious they were counting on the cult success of The Autopsy of Jane Doe and it doesn't fail in creating the same type of atmosphere. In the end that's what makes this a bottom three film but still on the list. The characters are pretty one dimensional but the demonic effects are everything you expect.
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 2018 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 2018! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2017.)
12) 'Mandy'
Nicolas Cage has been on a comeback trail recently, by jumping into the deep end of the horror pool. To be honest, I don't mind one bit. I used to be a huge fan and would seek out everything he did, but somewhere along the way.... he lost his way. Now, I'm starting to feel the Cage love again. However, the star of this film is truly Andrea Riseborough. She oozes a bizarre charisma that lights up the screen and makes you feel why she's the name on the poster. There's a lot to unpack in this film, let's not mince words. It doesn't always maintain the momentum it starts with, but it's still a crazy train ride that's worth the price of admission. If you haven't seen this yet, now is the time. Turn up the surround sound, turn off the lights and get ready for a hell of a ride!
Suggested snack to eat while watching: cigarettes and corn syrup
Jeff's dead raising edition of the Creepercast's Top 13 films of 2018 continues with...
#13 SLICE
"When a pizza delivery driver is murdered on the job, the city searches for someone to blame: ghosts? drug dealers? a disgraced werewolf?"
SLICE is an American horror comedy film, written and directed by Austin Vesely (with his first feature film). The film stars Chance (Chance the Rapper) Bennett, Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Chris Parnell (SNL), Paul Scheer (Funny or Die), and Rae Gray (Fear the Walking Dead).
SLICE is a brilliant piece of horror mish mash that is both fun and different. Sure there are a lot of projects I can compare it to like Midnight in Texas with all its ghosts, witches and a werewolf. It's reminiscence of Hot Fuzz in its final outcome and though it may not be as funny, it has plenty of belly laughs to keep you going. A24 Studios usually walks a very thin line of worthwhile horror but SLICE is an entertaining departure and I hope they bring us more. The opening murder alone where the pizza delivery guy gets his throat slit while a scared stiff ghost watches is horror comedy gold.
Currently available via VOD, SLICE will be released on DVD on January 29, 2019.
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 2018 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 2018! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2017.)
13) 'Cargo'
Zombie films will always have a soft spot in my heart. I never get tired of them and despite the scenarios being the same, I still lose myself in the idea of having to live through overwhelming odds in order to survive what is probably a hopeless situation. In this film, we get the always fun to watch Martin Freeman, in yet another horror role as a man trying to keep his family alive. One of the hooks of this film, is that it takes place in Australia. They've also tweaked the mythos to include a governmental response to the epidemic that's humane, but leaves you with some morality questions that ratchet up the tension. This one is above average for the undead fare that's being mass produced. It left me feeling a little cold, in the end, but it's still deserving of a spot on my list.
Suggested snack to eat while watching: anything you can find lying around the local abandoned boat
your list for this year. I have a feeling you will find some bleed over from last year given that some of the films that debuted in late 2017 weren’t available until early 2018. Thus why you’ll find films that should have made the 2017 list got carried over to this list and some that made the 2017 list weren’t available for general consumption until 2018. So, though TRAGEDY GIRLS made my 2017 list it couldn’t hack the competition for 2018, but is still deserving of your watch list if you haven’t seen it yet. Speaking of being able to hack this list, there was a lot of great horrors that came out of 2018 that shows wonderful promise for the land of horror like HEREDITARY and SUMMER OF 84. You may even find a tie or two on this list. There was also enough bad stuff to make you question why you wasted your time and money on them, like SLENDER MAN and TRUTH OR DARE. Sometimes Hollywood surprises us with an excellent horror film, like the SUSPIRIA remake which you won’t find on my list, despite being just as amazingly mind-boggling as the original, simply because there is still no replacing the original no matter the argument. You will find a sequel that reshapes an iconic franchise, and another that bend your perception of reality. There seem to be more serial killers than monsters on this list as well as if there truly is a difference.
Before we get started on the films that did make The Best 13 Horror Films of 2018 let's take a look at those that didn’t make that list but definitely deserves notoriety either negatively and/or positively.
Starting with…
2018’s Worst Horror Movie of the Year goes to...
DAY OF THE DEAD: BLOODLINES
At the end of a very bloody day, 'Day of the Dead: Bloodlines' kind of fails at what it's trying to do. While I can respect Hèctor Hernández Vicens' vision and what he was trying to do, I think he was hamstrung by a shoddy script and a minuscule budget. The actors seemed to be straight out of film school and there was never really any drama, danger or a real plot to speak of. Imagine taking your favorite story and removing all of the things you really loved about it and replacing it with excerpts from the phone book. That's kind of what we ended up with here and it's a shame. While the original isn't crying out for a remake, after what 'Dawn of the Dead' (2004) did for upping the remake game, there's a potential there to create something amazing. Only time will tell if we'll ever get a version of this story that will stand alongside the original and don't get me wrong, it wasn't a perfect film. However, it's stood the test of time and has still managed to set the tone for generations of zombie films that followed it. It's quotable and has one of the most horrific scenes of undead violence ever committed to the screen. If you don't know what I'm referring too, just think back to when Rhodes finally got his comeuppance. I'm giving this film 1 out of 5 stars. Sadly, it just fell far too short of the mark. Little budget or not, I've seen films on a tiny budget, pull off really big things. So that's not an excuse. Somewhere right now, Bub is rolling over in his empty grave. Also, what was up with Johnathon Schaech's mouth?!?!
In contrast,
2018’s Best/Worst Horror Film of the Year goes to...
HELL’S KITTY
Now I'm definitely not going to say that 'Hell's Kitty' is brilliant in any way. But it is everything you could possibly love and hate about a B-horror comedy. You'll love mining the film for popular horror references. Between all the blatantly placed callbacks ('The Shining', 'Children of the Corn', and 'The Exorcist' just to name a few) and all the well-placed items in a scene, or even cleverly placed lines in dialogue, there is a lot of horror nostalgia to look for. You'll also love the cameos that not only strengthen the homages but humorously play on what we think we know about these characters based on their iconic roles. My favorite is when Michael Berryman, a very scary looking guy who (if you follow him at all on social media, is really a pussycat) first pops into a room to a startled Nick and says "Do I scare you?" Bill (Oberst Jr.) as a creepy vicar is, as always, brilliantly portrayed. Also, Doug Jones possessed by a cat demon is horror comedy gold. How's that for a tease?
On to the good stuff,
2018’s Honorable Mention goes to...
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE
The new kings of horror releases Netflix have been dominating the genre for the last few years. By attracting the best in horror filmmakers and putting together ensemble casts they’ve managed to populate tons of year-end lists with well-crafted stories. It's not only exciting for us horror fans but is legitimizing the genre in ways we never would have dreamt possible. Mike Flannigan's mini-series event THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE is an epic piece of work that far surpasses any previous adaptations of Shirley Jackson's novel. THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE excels at being creepy and has a fun game you can play where you get to count all the hidden ghosts. This may require repeat viewings but that can’t be a bad thing. Be sure to read the novel too for a late night, keep all the lights on, page-turner.
As most of you are likely to remember, I am not your everyday Nicolas Cage fan. In fact I usually can't stand him. When it comes to acting he doesn't, instead who shows up all stained faced and seems to deliver lines thinking the influence in his voice is enough to convince us he's really sad, or mad, etc. Otherwise, his face never changes. That has been the case for at least 2 decades now and although I may be a late bloomer while watching Mom and Dad I finally realized what Cage is really good at. He's really good at being friggin crazy! Why they tried to make him a serious actor when it's obvious he should always play the nutjob I have no idea. I was almost bored to death during the somber moments before parents starting killing their kids and even the supporting cast couldn't keep me awake. But, as soon as the poop hit the pan and Cage went full psycho I was in for the madness. When I declared I'd finally figured out what Cage was good at to Joel he laughed and said "that's because he wasn't acting. He really is crazy." That seems true since he isn't acting any other time, so why would I think he was now?
MANDY
Part Hellraiser, part bad acid trip, all balls to the wall mayhem. Cast Nicholas Cage as John Wick, take away his girlfriend and let him be his crazy ass self and you have MANDY. Though it started out kind of like The Grey and the whole relationship thing was boring, when he gets to The Hoard on the bad guys it is pretty epic. Best bad guy overcompensating award also goes to Linus Roache.
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 2018 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 2018! (based on release dates and not the years they were filmed.... although some may be in the last quarter of 2017.)
Honorable Mention) 'The Haunting of Hill House'
In my mind, the 'Top 13' list should be films only. However, with the release of Mike Flanagan's 10 episode epic, 'The Haunting of Hill House'.... I'm making an exception. This is a moderately sprawling epic tale of sadness, death and redemption that deserves a mention. It's not without its flaws, but it's creepy, when it needs to be. It's dramatic, when it's called for. Sometimes, it's a bit formulaic in it's creature design and execution, but at the end of the day it proves that it has heart and a heck of a story. It's all the things that it promised and it proves that Mike Flanagan is still a force to be reckoned with. I feel that there's a lot of things I could pick apart about this series, but there's so much more going on that's good, that I'd be doing the uninitiated a disservice by making it sound like less than it was. If you've got 10 hours to spare, it's worth your time.
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