Jeff's Top 13 Horror Films of 2018 #01

Jeff's dead raising edition of the Creepercast's Top 13 films of 2018 continues with...

#01
A QUIET PLACE

"In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing."

A QUIET PLACE is an American post-apocalyptic horror film directed by John Krasinski, who wrote the screenplay with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. The film stars Krasinski, alongside Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe.

Krasinski knows the rules of survival horror but doesn't feel limited by them. Instead, he builds the opening tension, sets us up for something bad to happen, then lets it happen before we've had a chance to register exactly whats going on. This introduction does nothing to give us the background to the conditions the family has found themselves in but focuses us on the family and their loss, suffering, angst, and struggle to find normalcy in a new world where to make noise will promise certain death. From this point on the attention to detail is incredible as we learn just what this family has done to adjust their lives, like sandy walkways that mute footsteps, homemade crochet game pieces, and even the elaborate set up created to distract the creatures when Blunt's character is ready to give birth. This scene alone is enough to garner awards for everything from acting to visual effects and has earned its place in iconography via the still that graces the official poster art. Finally, we do get our exposition through the eyes of their deaf child, and from then on anything that can go wrong will.

Currently available everywhere.

joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2018.... #1

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.)

1) 'Halloween' (2018)

We're finally here! I hope the wait was worth it. My top film of 2018 is none other than David Gordon Green and Danny McBride's 'Halloween' (2018). This is another one that I've already written a full review for, so I won't go on and on again about how wonderful this film is. While it's not a perfect horror film, it still hit all the sweet spots that the franchise needed and breathed life into Michael Myers once again. Even though I'm a die hard fan of Rob Zombie's take on the series, those films had reached their conclusion. It was nice to see that two fans of the genre and franchise could pull a rabbit out of their hat and make something old, new again. It may have taken a complete erasing of the movies that came before it to make it happen, but I'm okay with that. Those films still exist and will still hold a soft spot in my heart, but this just means that there is a whole new timeline to follow. Unlike the messy 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' films, this one seems less all over the place. It's not trying to hold it all together anymore, but rather to forge a new path of destruction. This one is an example of team film making that puts together something that pays off on everything it promises. I, personally, would have tweaked a couple of minor things, but you'll never have every single part of a film exactly right.... but this is still worthy of my top spot and a film I will revisit often.



Suggested snack to eat while watching: Halloween candy!

Jeff's Top 13 Horror Films of 2018 #02

Jeff's dead raising edition of the Creepercast's Top 13 films of 2018 continues with...

#02
THE ENDLESS

"As kids, they escaped a UFO death cult. Now, two adult brothers seek answers after an old videotape surfaces and brings them back to where they began."

American science fiction horror film directed, produced by and starring Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. Co-stars include Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington, Lew Temple, and James Jordan.

A sequel to their independent masterpiece RESOLUTION, THE ENDLESS takes us into the heart of two young survivors (played by Benson and Moorehead) of what may have been a death cult as they decide to go back and visit after escaping. Their lives haven't gotten much better since leaving, so why not? Once there the film turns into exactly what you expect as things go from ok to downright creepy. There are few writers and directors in the independent world that can weave a tail as engrossing as Benson/Moorehead and still keep it on the edge of horror. THE ENDLESS is another winner on both the psychological and entertainment front. It's likely THE ENDLESS would have been number one on my last years list if I'd of seen it then.

Currently available everywhere.

joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2018.... #2

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.)

2) 'The Ravenous'

We're almost at the top of the pile, as the countdown continues! I've already written a full review of this film and it still holds up as one of the truly best of this year. While it has some mixed reactions, as a whole, with the people who've seen it.... to me it sums up what a zombie film should be. It's bleak, but full of hope. Frightening, but with heart. A simple little slice of life in the apocalypse. I've since gone back and watched it a second time and it held up just as well as the first time. It takes the expected formula and throws in some slight twists on the genre that make this one stand out from the rest of the pack. It's also proof that despite the over saturation of the zombie market, there is still brilliant stories to be told.



Suggested snack to eat while watching: "Fronch dressing. Fronch fries. Fronch bread. And to drink….Peru!"

Jeff's Top 13 Horror Films of 2018 #03

Jeff's dead raising edition of the Creepercast's Top 13 films of 2018 continues with...

#03
HALLOWEEN

"Laurie Strode confronts her long-time foe Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago."

HALLOWEEN is an American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Green, Jeff Fradley, and Danny McBride. Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle reprise their respective roles as Strode and Myers, with stuntman James Jude Courtney also portraying Myers. The film also stars Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, and Virginia Gardner.

There is so much that can and has be said about the best Halloween "sequel". HALLOWEEN 2018 rewrites the Meyer's legacy and returns the cannon back to the original model. He was just a focused killer out for babysitters but has a specially affinity for the one who got away. I am all in, personally hating all the humanizing back story created by the franchise. I like my masked killers to remain blood thirsty killers and really don't care about their lives before I was introduced to the mask. The return of Jamie Lee and Nick Castle further cement the nostalgia. David Gordon Green and Danny McBride obviously love the original. The jabs at sequels are clever, and Carpenter's involvement a blessing like no other. The only thing lacking is I only wish that I had stock in Blumhouse.

Currently available everywhere.

joel.'s top 13 horror films of 2018.... #3

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.)

3) 'Terrifier'

The final film that kind of came out of nowhere is 'Terrifier'. With the fear of clowns being at an all time high, Art the Clown has walked out of the shadows at the perfect time and has suddenly become part of the higher echelon of horror clowns and an instant horror icon. He's starting to be mentioned in the same breath as Freddy and Jason and Pennywise and it was all in a matter of two films time. This one is a straight up throw back to the old 80's style storytelling with a grindhouse aesthetic that works brilliantly. I can't say enough good things about this film and the ending is ultimately what put the nail in the coffin. It's so beyond belief, but fits snugly into place along with all of the other unstoppable killers, that it's like magic. Long live Art! PS David Howard Thornton embodies this role so perfectly that it's like he was born to play the part.



Suggested snack to eat while watching: pizza!

Jeff's Top 13 Horror Films of 2018 #04

Jeff's dead raising edition of the Creepercast's Top 13 films of 2018 continues with...

#04
SUMMER OF 84

"After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous."

SUMMER OF 84 is a Canadian horror mystery film directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell. The film stars Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Jason Gray-Stanford, Tiera Skovbye, and Rich Sommer.

Yes, SUMMER OF 84 is everything you want and expect from a serial killer among us film. What's more is it is set in a time period where, for some reason, we never considered was a real thing that could happen. 80's nostalgia comes in Spielbergian form with best friends on bikes, parents that barely pay attention to them, and a mystery that is more true than they could hope. It's a coming of age movie in a time of innocence that many of us remember fondly our many brushes with death and survived. In the end, the mystery is only the vehicle by which one of our innocents must come to terms with his own mortality and the constant threats life has to offer. There's nothing more evil as a child to find your life constantly in danger and not knowing from where that danger might come.

Currently available everywhere.