By Stephanie Scaife
In a year brimming with Dark Knights, Avengers and Hobbits, not to mention the impending (if ultimately anticlimactic) apocalypse that was supposed to befall us last month I feel that 2012 has been a pretty weak year for us horror fans, where there have been far too many films eliciting nothing more than a slight “meh” upon viewing. In fact I gave up trying to write a top ten as I couldn’t actually think of ten genre films I’d seen this year that I liked enough, although I feel that I should say that I haven’t seen Berberian Sound Studio, Sightseers or Antiviral yet, all of which I have pretty high expectations of. So without further ado, I bring you my likes, dislikes, those in-between and what I’m looking forward to in the year ahead…
My Top Films of 2012
Killer Joe
Killer Joe was an easy choice as my favourite film of the year, and I absolutely loved how unashamedly sleazy and violent this southern fried neo-noir from veteran filmmaker William Friedkin is. I can see why it was divisive – any film where Gina Gershon is introduced naked from the waist down won’t be to everyone’s tastes – but for me Killer Joe was unrivalled in 2012 for its humour, style and excesses.
The Raid
Turns out my favourites of the year were all about being as excessive as possible; where Killer Joe had sleaze, The Raid brought us unrelenting, no holds barred violence for a solid 90 minutes. This Indonesian film directed by Welshman Gareth Evans seemed to come out of nowhere and became a true word of mouth success. By showcasing the Indonesian martial art of pencak silat The Raid proves that no amount of CGI and clever camera work can be a patch on the real deal; you seriously wouldn’t want to mess with any of these guys!
Looper
Rian Johnson’s Looper wins the award for being perhaps the most original mainstream genre film released in 2012. It also only works if you can completely suspend your disbelief for 2 hours, as it falls into many of the plot pitfalls associated with tackling time travel on film. That said, in a world where we’re treated to endless remakes, reboots and prequels, it’s genuinely refreshing to have something completely different, and with its fantastic cast, irreverent plot, and an ending that shifts the whole thing into straight up horror territory, it well and truly deserves a mention.
The Hunter
I saw this strange and haunting film on a flight and in my valium-induced state I thought I’d perhaps imagined some of it as the plot is pretty much bonkers, but after revisiting it on blu-ray I realised that no, this really is a film about Willem Dafoe hunting Tasmanian tigers. Although it’s perhaps a stretch to class this as a genre film, as it is pretty much a straight-up thriller, The Hunter does however have an uncanniness about it that ensures it’s not out of place on the pages of BAH. Criminally underseen, I’d urge you to seek out a copy of The Hunter.
Midnight Son
Annie’s review – Keri’s review.
Just when you think nothing new can be done with the vampire genre something pops up and surprises you. Very much in the vein of Romero’s Martin, Midnight Son takes a more human approach to the genre and works all the better for it. This ultra low budget indie film uses its small cast and limited locations to great effect and it turn creates something claustrophobic, frightening and ultimately very moving. A romance at heart, but Twilight this ain’t.
What I’m Undecided On
American Mary
This film was a bit like marmite at BAH, but for me I’m still undecided. I have great admiration for the Soskas and their work but for me American Mary was, just slightly, too much style over substance. Katharine Isabelle and Tristan Risk are absolutely fab in their roles and I love the fact that this is a truly original piece of work but upon reflection I think I desperately wanted to like this film a whole lot more than I did in reality. Still, I’m eager to see what the twins do next as they are undeniably a force to be reckoned with.
Detention
Detention is a weird one, and although many will have seen this in 2011, it didn’t get its official release until 2012 so I’m counting it here. The thing about this movie is that I genuinely have no idea whether it’s the most irritating film ever made or a work of pure genius. The good is that it’s completely and utterly bonkers and clearly doesn’t give anything close to a shit regarding coherency and plot; it’s anarchic, fast-paced and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. The bad is that it may as well have been named Hipster: The Movie as it’s so painfully self aware and nostalgic for the 90s that frankly, it just made me feel old.
The Worst of 2012
Excision
I just didn’t get this film at all and despite the great cast (usually John Waters is reason enough to watch anything) I found almost nothing to like here. The otherwise generally very positive reception it received confused me greatly, did we all really see the same film?! I found it vapid, the characters unlikeable and the fantasy sequences seemed like the work of a green behind the ears film school graduate working on their first music video.
Cabin in the Woods
This was another one that was heaped with praise that invoked little more than indifference followed by mild annoyance from me. It was just trying so hard to be clever that I found it bordering on smug and the ending was a complete and utter let down.
Prometheus
I mean, really? What a colossal and incoherent disappointment that was. Even without the likes of Alien to live up to if taken at face value as a stand-alone sci-fi film this was dire. The characters’ motives were all over the place, not to mention their actions borderline stupid, and the whole religious allegory, meaning of life nonsense was eye wateringly dull. Even Michael Fassbender couldn’t save it.
What I’m Looking Forward to in 2013
The Nymphomaniac – Lars Von Trier’s new laugh-a-minute comedy caper (or at least that’s what I’m assuming) starring the always fabulous Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Only Lovers Left Alive – Jim Jarmusch’s foray into the Vampire genre starring the exquisite Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as her lover and vamp muso who spans the centuries primarily within the New York underground music scene. Sounds pretty fucking amazing.
Only God Forgives – Nicholas Winding Refn’s crime thriller starring his muse Ryan Gosling and Kristin Scott Thomas as a brutal mafia ringleader. Colour me intrigued…
Byzantium – Neil Jordan’s return to the vampire genre staring Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan as a mother daughter bloodsucking team.
Under the Skin – Jonathan Glazer’s adaptation of Michel Faber’s bizarre novel about an alien, transformed by surgery to make her look like a beautiful human, who trawls the streets of Scotland looking for hitchhikers.