joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2018.... #8

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.)

8) 'A Quiet Place'

Original concepts are few and far between. 'A Quiet Place' came out of nowhere and took some elements of other horror films and tweaked them in such a way that it made something new and different. While it has some flaws, they can all be overlooked by the way it's all executed. It plays on my love of films about overwhelming odds and adds the element of being forced to remain quiet to stay alive. Plus, how many films do you know of utilize American Sign Language? If you've not seen this one, please stop reading this and go watch. You won't regret it.



Suggested snack to eat while watching: marshmallows

joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2017.... #8

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.)

8) 'The Void'

This film was primarily seen by me, because of the marketing campaign and word of mouth. The grass roots approach really seemed to pay off for this one. The posters were vague, but the imagery was strong. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into, when I saw this film. It's one of the most original pieces of horror, I've seen in several years. The concept is terrifying and the execution of the story line reaches near Cronenberg levels. This is what independent horror should look and feel like. It's dark, gritty, dirty and legitimately deserving of all the praise it's received. I'm not a fan of body horror or all out gore, but this uses those things to induce terror into the viewer in the best way possible. I found myself on the edge of my seat and unclear what in the hell would happen next. It's almost a cousin to 'Baskin', that came out last year, but far superior in my humble opinion. This is not your father's horror film.... or maybe it is?



Suggested snack to eat while watching: anything that requires a knife

my top 12.... 'Friday the 13th' films - number 8

With the upcoming release of the new 'Friday the 13th: The Game', on Xbox One, it's had me thinking a lot about one of my favorite franchises. Granted, it's a bit of a guilty pleasure, Jason has always held a soft spot in my heart among the horror icons. With a new film seemingly in development hell, there is a bright spot with the fan made 'Never Hike Alone', currently in production. However, there's 12 other feature films that have been released since 1980 and I thought it might be fun to rank them, according to which ones I consider to be the best. So here we go, my personal top 12 'Friday the 13th' movies....

Number 8) Friday the 13th part II

Hot off the heels of the original, the studio wanted a sequel. Still a fairly new concept, they did their best to continue the story, but this time.... with Jason in the lead. This film works pretty well, over all, but killing off your most popular character in the first 10 minutes was not the best idea in the world. A solid entry into the franchise and one that still holds up pretty well. 3 out of 5 stars.

my top 13 "Final Girls".... #8

What's a 'Final Girl' you might ask? She's the last woman standing at the end of a horror film. Usually the one who defeats the killer. In this list, I'll give you my top 13 'Final Girls' in horror of all time. Without furtur ado....

#8: Sally Hardesty from 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' played by Marilyn Burns
It all started out as a road trip, that quickly descended into a living hell on earth. Before Strech took on Leatherface, there was Sally Hardesty. One of the original incarnations of the "Final Girl".