By Matt Harries
I’ll begin my preamble by holding my hands up and admitting that I lag somewhat behind my cohorts on BAH when it comes to the latest horror – especially the independent variety. Perhaps because I spend so much time digging around in the musical underground, I tend to arrive upon the lesser known films rather later – usually after recommendations from sites such as this one. So in this list I’m offering a slightly different perspective, incorporating small screen as well as cinematic high points from 2014. Mark me down on kvlt points if you will, but there was some great stuff right under our noses that definitely deserves a mention to fans of dark, thoughtful and hard-hitting storytelling.
1. True Detective
That (for me) the best moments from the moving image this year generally came not from cinema but from ‘long form’ television is testament to the ever increasing quality and depth of small screen entertainment in recent years, rather than a comment on the relative struggles of mainstream horror/genre film – indeed, 2014 has by all accounts been a strong year for indie horror. In the end though, TD’s pairing of those up-and-coming young bucks McConaughey and Harrelson proved utterly inspired, and showed the powerful allure of television for some big names in the acting world. Taking full advantage of the extra time and space of an 8 episode series to develop character and storyline, TD’s ingenious use of converging timelines and superb performances by the leading men resulted in some of the richest and most immersive viewing on offer in all formats. The ‘long shot’ episode showcased arguably one of the finest heist/shoot-out sequences I’ve ever witnessed on film, and Matthew McConaughey’s portrayal of Detective Rustin Spencer ‘Rust’ Cohle realised a truly memorable amalgam of Roky Eriksson’s psychedelic paranoia and Thomas Ligotti’s black hole existentialism. Completely recommended to fans of Lovecraft, Lynch, the Coen Brothers and the Hannibal Lecter mythology.
2. Gone Girl
One of the dwindling pleasures in modern cinema seems to be the tension arising from the viewer not knowing exactly where the film will end. Gone Girl was a film I knew virtually nothing about when I went to see it, and as the central premise arose and evolved – Rosamund Pike’s Amy Dunne disappearing from her home in suspicious circumstances – I was kept guessing right until the end. The twisting of the plot was in itself a real pleasure but there is a lot more to it than mere cleverness; an excellent cast sees Ben Affleck’s star continue to rise, as he is perfectly cast as Amy’s husband Nick. Pike is similarly excellent as the complex and conniving Amy, while Carrie Coon as Nick’s sister and Deadwood’s Kim Dickens as the leading detective assigned to the case offer fine support. A film that works as a confusional whodunnit and internecine thriller as well as offering a sharp comment upon relationships and the media, Gone Girl displays a hugely impressive depth of scope.
3. Fargo
Back to t’telly, and another sign of how far it has come in recent years with the Coen brothers Joel and Ethan (who of course directed the 1996 film of the same name) now lending their talents to the first season of this FX anthology as executive producers. As with True Detective’s Matthew McConaughey we have a leading man who is very much at the forefront of some of the biggest movies currently laying waste to multiplexes across the globe, Martin Freeman. The Hobbit star plays everyman with an edge Lester Nygaard, and it is a real pleasure to see him take the character William H. Macy so excelled in portraying (as Jerry Lundegaard) in a new direction while retaining much of his underdog qualities. In terms of his morality and motivation Nygaard sits somewhere in the middle between opposite forces personified by the vulpine Billy Bob Thornton as killer Lorne Malvo and Alison Tolman as Deputy Molly Solverson, very much a force for light and as similarly excellent as 1996 Academy award winner Frances McDormand. For anyone who enjoyed the original film, Fargo the series showcases the classic quirky small town characters you expect from the Coens, whilst retaining the black-comedy element that helped make the original such a success. However, it is Thornton’s turn as the malevolent and seemingly omnipotent Malvo that really drives the story forward.
4. Hannibal
Now in its second season, Hannibal continues to provide some of the most mind-altering entertainment out there as Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham and Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal Lecter continue their deadly dance. The show fluctuates between stark, meathook reality and a hallucinogenic visual style seemingly gleaned from PCP induced psychosis, while featuring some of the most elaborate deaths imaginable and a deliciously murderous take on haute cuisine (or should that be a haute cuisine take on murder?). Mikkelsen’s Lecter draws upon the familiar combination of predatory social Darwinism and cultural superiority, but his brooding presence and more youthful physicality allows him to make this incarnation of the character all his own. Witness the brilliant beginning of the second series; Lecter clashing with Lawrence Fishburne’s Jack Crawford in an epic battle that plummets us into a future in which Crawford takes refuge in Lecter’s pantry, bleeding profusely from a wound to the neck. Then the clock is rewound to 12 weeks earlier, and the tale begins to unfurl again. The cast is uniformly excellent, with Dancy, Mikkelsen and Fishburne supported by a powerful female presence, with Caroline Dhavernas, Gillian Anderson, Lara Jean Chorostecki and newcomer Katherine Isabelle all excelling in important roles. Besides, what’s not to love about a show of which Bryan Fuller, the man who developed it for NBC, said “When I sat down to do the script, I was very consciously saying ‘what would David Lynch do with a Hannibal Lecter character? What sort of strange, unexpected places would he take this world?’”
5. Under The Skin
Surprise! Okay, perhaps not. The film that truly, er, got under people’s skins this year, Under the Skin has been discussed by greater minds than mine already on this site in some depth. A wonderful example of the enduring fascination afforded to something mysterious and unexplained, something that defies easy classification. Unsettling and thought provoking.
6. The Babadook
A powerful study of the life shattering effects of grief, The Babadook is a resolutely grim depiction of one woman’s struggle to raise her young son following the tragic death of his father. As she battles to hold on to the vestiges of normality, Amelia ( the excellent Essie Davies) initially invokes our deepest sympathy as she is beset by the seeming tyranny of her difficult son Samuel (Noah Wiseman). The discovery of a mysterious book heralds the coming of a darkness that threatens to claim Amelia’s sanity and as she begins to unravel, the life of Samuel as well. Finally it is young Samuel who surprisingly proves his strength, as we learn that some things have to be endured – you can’t get rid of the Babadook…
Honorary mentions (all genres); Starred Up, ’71, Oculus, Coyote, Wolf Of Wall Street, Housebound, Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead, The Rover, Edge Of Tomorrow.
Man of the Year – Matthew McConaughey for ‘Rust’ Cohle (True Detective).
Woman of the Year – Rosamund Pike for Amy Dunne (Gone Girl).
Best Soundtrack – True Detective, closely followed by Only Lovers Left Alive.
Two to Watch – Trevor Juenger (Director/Writer, Coyote), Cary Joji Fukunaga (Director, True Detective).
Best Comic Turn – Jonah Hill (Wolf Of Wall Street).
Best Use of Cheese Grater – Housebound.
Winner of the ‘Please No Sequels’ Award – Dracula Untold.