Archive: Author: Admin

By Brutal As Hell staff

At last we reach our final five – read parts one, two and three if you haven’t already…

Tucker and Dale versus Evil (2010)

Tristan: Rednecks get a bad press in horror – all too often we find ourselves back in the lair of a bearded, plaid-shirted mouth-breather who stockpiles broken cars, has an impressive collection of power tools and keeps the eyeballs of co-eds in his kitchen. And with horror so often holding up a mirror to the society that produces it, it’s great to see an inversion on America’s fear of its own rural dwellers. Tucker and Dale takes a winning idea, and spins it into comedic gold, and, much like Some Guy Who Kills People, satisfies both gorehounds and those looking for a touching romantic comedy – and, to the film-makers credit, they know that those aren’t necessarily always two separate audiences.

Comix: I would like to start off by saying this movie was hilarious! After being awash in other horror spoofs like Scary Movie 20 or some shit, it was cool to see a flick that didn’t feel forced. While not the most original idea (what with the hillbillies and all), it was the way that it was handled that really worked. It turned the whole good/evil thing on its head without coming off too wacky and yet still keeping the chainsaws and axes intact. The dialogue was fresh and the jokes kept rolling in a very organic way, perfectly punctuated with physical gags and even, dare I say, some love? Though it’s easy to write this off as another horror joke, the movie proves itself otherwise by keeping the deep, dark woods setting true to standard “cabin horror” and playing off all those lovely tropes that are ripe for the picking.

See Britt Hayes’ review from 2010.

Antiviral (2012)

Annie: This auspicious debut by Brandon Cronenberg (son of Body Horror Master David) is colder, bleaker and more sterile than a freshly bleached bedpan in an ICU unit. The dystopia it portrays is an icy comment on our “sick” obsession with celebrities and the lengths to which we will go to fill the void within ourselves with the zeitgeist of another. Alabaster angel-faced Caleb Landry-Jones turns in a stunning lead performance as a sort of imploded American Psycho – one who tortures and maims himself rather than others in a mad grab for an identity in a faceless world. I’d shoot myself up with some of his sexy ginger cells, just saying.

Keri: How is this film not huge? Perhaps it’s just too cold, too harsh, or perhaps it’s just a little close for comfort in its depiction of a mindless, celebrity-obsessed society which will stop at nothing to get closer to its idols, even stooping so low as to pay to contract illnesses incubated by the stars. At the nub of the plot is Syd Marsh, Lucas Clinic representative, a man who has made a tidy profit on the black market by infecting himself with these conditions in order to pass them on illicitly, who then finds himself ill with a sickness which, it seems, has killed one of the clinic’s most illustrious star clients. Looking authentically ill throughout, Caleb Landry Jones’ performance here adds a haunting, disturbing note to an already grim tale. Brandon Cronenberg’s very modern spin on body horror is an unsettling one; the universe he creates is by turns recognisable and repellent, and the film’s conclusion disturbed me enough to have stuck with me ever since.

Steph: Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral is one of the most ambitious and innovative feature film debuts from a young director that I’ve seen in recent memory. It certainly isn’t subtle in its condemnation of the sickness of our celebrity obsessed culture and the possible repercussions of this, but it’s so singularly odd and surgical in its approach that it deserves to be admired. Antiviral is so unsettling and odd with a wonderful, and seriously creepy, central performance from Caleb Landry Jones as Syd March. Although it’s unfair to compare Cronenberg’s work to that of his father, he seems to share that obsession with the deterioration of the human body combined with social critique, and whilst Daddy Cronenberg is off making the likes of Cosmopolis and A Dangerous Method, it’s extremely pleasing to see Cronenberg Jnr. following in his earlier grossfest footsteps. This absolutely won’t be to everyone’s taste as it is a difficult film to emotionally engage with as anything more than a morbid curiosity, but I think by sheer audacity and originality it deserves a place on this list.

See Keri’s review from 2012.

Tokyo Gore Police (2008)

Ben: There is not a doubt in my mind that when future generations of horror fans look back on the early 21st century, the current wave of Japanese gore movies will be regarded as every bit as distinct a breed of horror as, say, the Hammer movie, the Italian zombie movie, or the first wave slasher. And from this perspective – Tokyo Gore Police is J-sploitation’s Horror of Dracula, Zombie Flesh Eaters, Halloween. It might not have been the first, but it’s the one that really showed all the others how it’s done. The jewel in the crown of director and FX master Yoshihiro Nishimura (who’s ridiculously prolific in the latter category), it’s positively bursting with mind-bogglingly excessive gore and bizarre creature FX the like of which most western horror movies can only dream about – most of it (hallelujah!) practical – but none of this is at the expense of intelligent storytelling, sophisticated themes, and bona fide wit. And, of course, Eihi Shiina: absolutely terrifying, but at the same time – mmm…

Tristan: One of the most cheering trends in the horror scene in the past five years has been the resurgence of Japanese exploitation, largely due to the efforts of the Sushi Typhoon production company and their various members. Since Noboru Iguchi’s Machine Girl wowed worldwide audiences in 2008, we have been exposed to a steady stream of over-the-top gore comedies, often featuring bold satirical wipes at Japanese cultural stereotypes. Whilst Mutant Girl Squad, Dead Sushi and Horny House Of Horror all deserve a mention, it’s Tokyo Gore Police that really made the world sit up and notice – like a live action anime with over-the-top gore effects that don’t let up, yet with a jet-black sense of humour that comes across perfectly in the fake adverts that pepper the film, Tokyo Gore Police is one for those who are starting to feel like they’ve seen it all.

Read Marc’s review from 2009 – see also Ben’s Definitive Directors profile of Yoshihiro Nishimura from 2011.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Ben: Halloween – it’s our time, people. For too long we’ve seen it hijacked by pretenders, people for whom horror is a once-a-year thing. Mike Dougherty grabbed the holiday by the tips of its hairy, protruding ears and dragged it back into the shadows just for us, delivering arguably the first real horror movie to really be about All Hallow’s Eve, as opposed to just set on that night. In so doing, he created an instant seasonal classic, which has become staple October 31st viewing less than five years since its two-years-late release. Gorgeous to look at with its great production design, beautiful photography with perpetual orange Jack O’Lantern glow, and of course Anna Paquin in a Red Riding Hood outfit – and that impish patron saint of trick’r’treaters Sam has carved himself a seat at the table of horror icons.

Comix: Yay! Trick ’r Treat! There are so many good things about this movie! It was like the writers combined a bunch of Are You Afraid of the Dark episodes, upped the violence factor, and created their own Halloween urban legends. It’s the exact kind of movie that is perfect for aging trick-or-treaters, like Hocus Pocus or Satan’s Little Helper; a great representation of orange pumpkins, piles of candy, and rubbery, cloaked monsters. It’s fantastically kitschy and just screams “spooooooky,” playing on those weird little fears we had as kids alone for the first time as we hunt for sweets on Devil’s night. Trick ’r Treat is just fun. The characters were fantastically well done and even some of the more eye-rolling scenes were great to watch simply because of the context of the movie. You don’t take it seriously, you just roll with the punches and watch the scary stories. I mean, they are just stories… right?

Quin: Trick ‘r Treat does something truly remarkable. It captures archetypal Halloween imagery as well as the feeling that Halloween personally gave me as a kid. The first time I saw it, I stared at the screen with my mouth open while feeling joy that most people would associate with Christmas. This is a super fun and sometimes creepy (but mostly darkly hilarious) anthology film that I sincerely hope is someday as closely associated with Halloween as A Christmas Story is associated with the holidays today. I’m trying to remain as positive as possible at the news of the pending sequel. But even A Christmas Story has a sequel that went straight to DVD in 2012, and I’m pretty sure that no one thinks that takes away from the original. Of course, maybe it’s just that not many people know of its existence. Oh well, I really don’t see Trick ‘r Treat having this issue. If the sequel is terrible, we can all agree to ignore it.

Read Kayley Viteo’s review and Marc’s review from 2009.

The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Ben: How many times have we seen big-budget studio horror movies pop up making extravagant claims to have broken all the rules, done something genuinely new and exciting with a tried-and-tested formula? 99% of the time it turns out to be bollocks, of course, hence the deeply anti-mainstream sentiment that we so often see among horror aficionados. Therefore, on the rare occasion that a studio horror movie actually makes good on those claims, it is worthy of celebration. To whit – Cabin in the Woods. While some found it a bit too smart-arse for its own good, for me it was a tremendous breath of fresh air, offering reassurance that the studio system can still produce horror movies which really do take risks, credit the audience with some intelligence, and – hooray! – sport a shit-load of awesome monsters. Only thing I’d change – slight spoiler, I suppose – that final shot should’ve been an oozing, Lovecraftian tentacle rather than a humanoid arm. Otherwise – love it completely.

Comix: One of the things that really worked for me with Cabin in the Woods was how ridiculously epic it was. While it started off as horror spoof, it quickly became a lot more than that, adding a really weird (but awesome) angle to the movie. To me, it was like reading a comic, which makes sense seeing as it was written by Joss Whedon. It played with the idea of larger than life figures controlling our existence, a very comic book idea, and shows how even the smallest person can change the world (in this case, not for the best). It didn’t just stay a standard spoof, but became its own movie, changing up the premise into something we were actually involved in instead of just laughing at. The vision for Cabin in the Woods was very unique and took a huge pool of talent to pull it off, which the film did in spades, and added something different for non-horror audiences to get into. I mean, you can show this to anyone and not have to worry about them losing interest. It also helps that Chris Hemsworth is in it. I do love me some Chris Hemsworth.

Annie: What do you do when a tired premise has run its course? You deliver the fucking punchline, that’s what. CITW gleefully gathers up all of the stereotypical elements of the cabin in the woods genre and reweaves it into a tapestry of spoof and self-deprecation that is the exclamation point at the end of the sentence. Done, over, finis and brava – no cabin in the woods movie that dares follow will ever be more than a needless footnote.

Read Steph’s review from 2012.

So there you have our fifth anniversary top 20: Let the Right One In, The House of the Devil, Martyrs, the REC Trilogy, Some Guy Who Kills People, Troll Hunter, Berberian Sound Studio, Maniac, Midnight Son, Pontypool, Stake Land, The Loved Ones, Orphan, The Raid, Thirst, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Antiviral, Tokyo Gore Police, Trick ‘r Treat and The Cabin in the Woods.

Honourable mention to the close-but-no-cigar runners up: A Serbian Film, American Mary, Antichrist, Black Swan, Byzantium, Cold Fish, Dead Snow, Dead Sushi, Drag Me To Hell, The Human Centipede: First Sequence, I Saw the Devil, Jug Face, Lovely Molly, Monsters, Red White and Blue, The Battery, The Bunny Game and Valhalla Rising. (Upwards of 60 more films garnered single nominations, but I doubt you’re quite that curious…)

By Brutal As Hell staff

Here we go with the penultimate instalment of our fifth anniversary top 20 – and here’s where I think we might really surprise you. If you missed our first ten (remember, they’re not in preferential order), click here for part 1 and here for part 2.

Stake Land (2010)

Steph: Being a sucker for pretty much anything post-apocalyptic I was both relieved and excited when Jim Mickle’s Stake Land turned out to be one of the best offerings from the sub-genre in the last few years. This is a future where a vampire epidemic has wiped out most of the human population, leaving pockets of survivors who have all learned to adapt. I think the strength of the film lies in the human element; we stick with a small group of very well written and rounded characters that we emphasise with, something so often lacking in a lot of movies, horror or otherwise. We really care about these people as they fight for their lives on a daily basis, not just against the vamps but often against a far crueller enemy in other the survivors who have become fervent religious cultists, rapists and generally just not very nice people. Jim Mickle is proving himself to be a very interesting and talented filmmaker with originality and a very unique style. His recent reworking of We Are What We Are was a masterclass in atmospheric southern gothic, and I think it’s fairly safe to say that we can expect good things from him in the future. Stake Land is that very rare beast, in that it has managed to take vampires and do something interesting with them. Just when you think you’ve seen it all it is refreshing when someone comes along to prove you wrong.

Keri: I expected great things to come from director Jim Mickle when I saw the very promising Mulberry Street, and in Stake Land I was definitely not disappointed. There was absolutely no question for me that this film needed to go on this Top 20; it’s one of my favourite films full stop. I’m a big fan of post-apocalyptic cinema generally, and here we have a film which deftly crafts a dystopian world which is by turns distasteful and terrifying, where religious fanaticism is as destructive as the change in circumstances which precipitated its rise. This change in circumstance is, of course, the arrival of vampirism – and Stake Land makes vampirism genuinely horrific again. Gone are the suave, aristocratic bloodsuckers or the lovelorn teens. No vampire here sparkles. In fact, Stake Land’s creatures have more in common with the earliest vampire folklore – they are vile, bloated, savage creatures, humans no longer, driven only by wracking hunger. The opening sequences of this film had me on the edge of my seat – and I felt able to empathise with Martin and ‘Mister’ as they traversed this threatening world, maintaining their humanity only via each other.

Read Nia’s review and Marc’s review from 2011.

The Loved Ones (2009)

Annie: If Jeffrey Dahmer had been a teenage girl, he would have been Lola, the psychotic Aussie high schooler who doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Ever. This almost ordinary tale of teenage angst quickly becomes a harrowing adventure in torture, humiliation and crude brain surgery as the depths of Lola’s sickness proves deeper and blacker than the pits of horror hidden beneath her house. The only equivalent to this film is a glassful of warm pickle juice followed by a hard punch in the gut.

Steph: When I first saw The Loved Ones a few years back as a late night screening at FrightFest I knew next to nothing about it, and what a treat it proved to be. I think as horror fans we relish the once in a blue moon occurrence when something comes along that serves to remind you of exactly why you love the genre so much and The Loved Ones was one of those. I think one of the things I like about the film so much is that Lola is a female perpetrator who claims her victims not out of revenge, or because she’s been goaded into it by a man, but because she is a bona fide sociopath in her own right, which is refreshing to say the least! That on top of the fact this is a thoroughly entertaining, funny and hugely original film that has some nice squirm-inducing moments, especially for male viewers. It’s also surprisingly touching in its portrayal of teen relationships and dealing with the aftermath of death, so there’s a lot more to this film that you’d expect for a low-budget Aussie horror. It balances humour, drama and horror in a way that few films manage and is successful on all accounts without nullifying any of these elements.

Read Britt Hayes’ review from 2010.

Orphan (2009)

Nia: I’m not the type of person who ever manages to see a twist coming (the one time I did manage to was when I watched Monsters Inc., which is probably quite indicative). If I wasn’t already enjoying Orphan by two-thirds of the way in (I very much was) then I sure as heck was enjoying it when *that* twist happens. I watched the film several times in the cinema, and enjoyed it just as much each and every time. I was quite surprised by the seemingly mixed critical response the film received, and given as it’s made this list it seems I’m not alone in having greatly enjoyed the film. There’s no denying that Isabelle Fuhrman’s central role as Esther makes the film, wholly convincing in her eventually almost dual role. I’m fairly sure a lot of horror fans take great joy in deriding those multiplex-going masses who lap up the latest Saw/Paranormal Activity/PG-13 tripe and fall for every jump-scare like children falling for ‘got your nose!’ However, I can’t deny that I take great pleasure in watching these audiences jump in all the signposted places, cling to each other, and giggle nervously when it’s a film as entertaining and as fun as Orphan (I’m not saying that part of that entertainment isn’t from a certain sense of superiority, of course). Orphan, gladly, appeals to multiplex horror fans and ‘die-hard’ horror fans alike, and it’s a pleasure to see it make this list.

Tristan: I’ll admit I have a bit of a soft spot for ‘killer kids’ movies – there’s something strangely satisfying about seeing those sweet little tykes carving up the adults that I can’t quite place my finger on (perhaps a rebellion against the ‘all children are angels’ mindset that seems to propagate among the general public?). It just so happens that The Orphan happens to be a cracking ride too – efficiently scripted, and, although you might well spot the much-heralded twist from a long distance away, it remains a sheer joy thanks to Isabelle Fuhrman’s devilish performance as the manipulative little madam who may be hiding a dark secret (or several).

Read Marc’s review from 2009.

The Raid (2011)

Ben: Okay, so it’s not a horror movie in any way, shape or form. This didn’t stop me naming it my number one film of 2012 – and it doesn’t stop it being one of the most breathtaking, adrenaline-charged cinematic experiences of our time, and one of the most brutal shoot-‘em-up/beat-‘em-up movies there has ever been. There are a hell of a lot of bullets fired and kicks and punches thrown in this movie, and by God the audience feels every last one of them. Achieving wonders on a fraction of the budget most Hollywood action movies have to work with, Gareth Evans’ film takes everything that works from the last four decades of martial arts filmmaking, discards everything that doesn’t, and leaves us with something that is genuinely smart and involving, as well astonishingly visceral.

Steph: Not sure what I can say about The Raid that hasn’t already been said before, but I absolutely loved this movie. I saw it in an empty cinema on a weekday, not really knowing what to expect and by the end was practically cheering in my seat. This is a no holds barred pure action film that left me speechless and wanting more. It is excessive, ridiculous, relentlessly violent and unlike anything I’d seen before. Proof that a Welshman making an Indonesian martial arts film isn’t as bad of an idea as it may initially seem! If I am being honest I am neither a particular fan of action movies nor martial arts, but as soon as I saw The Raid I couldn’t stop raving about it and have sat though and enjoyed it countless times since its release in a bid to expose as many people as possible to it, because it really has to be seen to be believed. I think one of the things I like most about it is the fact that the fight scenes are predominantly in camera and carefully choreographed, with little noticeable CGI which creates a very visceral and palpable air of physical violence, I’d never been aware of pencak silat (the type of martial arts used) before seeing The Raid, but it’s truly something else and some of the stunts pulled off in this film are quite astonishing.

Read Ben and Keri‘s reviews from 2012.

Thirst (2009)

Quin: Let’s be honest, vampire movies these days really suck. Fortunately, even in tired horror sub-genres the occasional great film arises among all of the garbage. Thirst is one of those rare films. I have enormous respect and admiration for Park Chan-wook as a director and screenwriter. He did, after all, bring us the amazing Vengeance Trilogy as well as this past year’s English language film Stoker. Now combine his enormous talent with the genius acting of Song Kang-ho (I’ve been a huge fan ever since I saw him in Memories of Murder) and you have a recipe for greatness. Thirst is first and foremost a love story (like so many other vampire movies) but the horror is pretty gruesome. There is also a sinister element present in the details and the dialogue. But, it’s also worth mentioning how much fun this movie can be. The visual style is stunning to look at and the ever present dark humor kept a smile on my face throughout the entire thing. So many will undoubtedly be turned off by the mention of the vampire love story theme, but the originality in the way the story is told is fascinating and beautiful. Thirst is up there with Let the Right One In as one of the best foreign language horror films this century. Both of these films are love stories with vampires that have so much more to say in addition to the vampires and the love.

Keri: A visually-stunning piece of cinema, Thirst demonstrates that director Chan-wook Park has far more in his range than the savagery of his ‘revenge’ flicks such as Oldboy. As great as those films are, Thirst is a very different creature indeed. Another film which is able to take a trope like vampirism and transform it, making it intriguing and interesting again, Thirst is really a warped love story, set against a backdrop of religious doubt and moral quandry which the complicating factor of bloodlust only serves to amplify. Yet, it also brings a strange kind of freedom with it. The unhappily married Tae-ju gains a new kind of life through her encounter with Father Sang-hyeon (Kang-ho Song); their relationship is never straightforward, but it’s oddly believable and in places, touching.

Read Britt Hayes’ review from 2009.

The end is nigh: read on for our final five…

By Brutal As Hell staff

We continue with the next five films in our top 20 rundown of the best films from Brutal As Hell’s lifetime (which, once again, is not in order of preference). If you missed Part 1, click here…

Troll Hunter (2010)

Keri: Troll Hunter was a breath of fresh air on many levels; there are vast expanses of untapped folklore and mythology in Europe alone which have yet to make it to the screen, so it was a genuine pleasure to see the distinctly Norwegian folklore of the troll forming the basis of such an engaging, entertaining movie as we have here. Troll Hunter also proved that the shakycam format can be damn good in the right hands, and even – ssh – work in the film’s favour, as we’re taken along with the student filmmakers who find themselves on the brink of a very strange discovery and really feel ourselves experiencing events alongside them, perhaps even vicariously enjoying the fact, which they discover, that there are more things in heaven and earth…By turns funny and clever, Troll Hunter makes monsters cool again, and for that I am truly thankful. How in hell they plan to remake this, I can’t fathom, but you can bet that it won’t be a patch on this one.

Ben: For too long, low-budget horror movies have been afraid to tackle good old fashioned monsters. For too long, the use of CGI in low budget horror has been laughable at best. For too long, found footage films have lacked invention, wit and atmosphere. Troll Hunter discards all that conventional wisdom and winds up being one of the most unique and enjoyable horror movies, as well as one of the finest fantasy films in general, of the last five years. The creatures are beautifully designed and astonishingly well realised – most mainstream fantasy films don’t have SFX this good. Beyond that, though, it’s a wonderfully irreverent take on the sort of European folklore that we don’t see explored often enough on screen. Neil Marshall – you’d best not take remaking this lightly…

Read guest contributor Damon Swindall’s review from 2010, and Ben’s review from 2012.

Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

Annie: Who knew that the business of Foley sound could be so horrifying? Mousy Gilderoy has no idea what he’s in for when he accepts a job doing sound on a Giallo flick in 70s Italy. Used to the mundane world of nature docs, Gilderoy is thrust into a dark and sleazy world, trying to keep his sanity as he is forced to mimic the sounds of death. Haunting and surreal, Berberian Sound Studio stays with you like the endless echo of a death rattle.

Nia: Aside from the opinion-dividing work of Cattet and Forzani, or possibly Andreas Marschall’s Suspiria-homage Masks, have there been good gialli lately? Maybe I’ve missed them, but the subgenre strikes me as being somewhat dormant. Then there’s Berberian Sound Studio, part-homage, part-giallo in its own right. The strange little film managed to completely baffle the friends with whom I watched it (who I’m fairly sure have never even heard the word giallo, at least not in association with cinema), yet not so much that they didn’t come away having enjoyed the experience of watching the film. It’s an impressive feat to have made such an accessibly weird film, while remaining intensely impressive to more ‘in the know’ viewers. Toby Jones, it’s fair to say, is a delight as central character Gilderoy, his increasing confusion as the film progresses palpable through an at times cold and disconnected screen. If the film’s style and narrative mimic the films it pays tribute to, then it is all wrapped together wonderfully by the sound design and by the stunning soundtrack by Broadcast.

Read Ben’s review from 2012 and Tristan’s review from 2013 (just barely, it was published Jan 1st).

Maniac (2012)

Annie: See? Not all remakes suck. Not every reboot of a master classic is unnecessary and unable to improve upon its predecessor. This grimy, sleazy retelling of the grimy, sleazy 1980 classic isn’t interested in gussying itself up with splattery excess or lame CGI. Instead, it does a Gaspar Noe and crawls deep inside of our confused and terribly conflicted killer, forcing us to identify with him, his memories and his motivations. But the gore is definitely the backbone of the film, and when it comes, it’s ferocious. Elijah Wood always makes a wonderful psycho, but he really outdoes himself here, giving us a killer whom we would like to save, but whom we know we cannot. The power of this movie is in its sheer hopelessness and sorrow, drowning you in its despair.

Ben: In an age where remake (hand in hand with ‘found footage’) has become a byword for lazy filmmaking, Franck Khalfoun’s take on William Lustig’s notoriously sleazy slasher shines as a beacon of hope, a glittering example of how movies should be remade: with a distinct vision that honours the spirit of the original, but takes it somewhere completely new. Whilst the use of near-constant POV shots at first seems a bit of a novelty, it in fact helps this version of Maniac go to possibly even more unpleasant places than the original by drawing the viewer more directly into the action – and I’m still (pleasantly) surprised the genuinely unpleasant murder scenes got by the BBFC unscathed. Surely there’s no danger of anyone thinking of Elijah Wood as Frodo forever after seeing this.

Comix: To be fair, I’ve never seen the original, so I wasn’t caught up in the remake vs original hoopla that floated around the internet when this movie first hit screens. Personally, I was very excited to see how Elijah Wood would do in a horror movie and let me tell you, he was brilliant. He was convincingly creepy while still relatively relatable (I mean, don’t we all just want someone to love?) and his mannequin obsession really upped the weird factor. I loved the first person view point, something I had never seen before, and while at first I figured it was going to be super-cheesy, it was pulled off with an amazing amount of skill and detail. If I had my face any closer to the screen, I could’ve actually been the maniac! Maniac was a nice break from the standard dice-and-cut/ generic bad guy problem that the genre has been suffering under and its unique shooting style could open doors for more innovative horror movies to come through.

Read Ben’s review from 2012 and Keri’s review from 2013.

Midnight Son (2011)

Nia: I’m not sure what I can possibly say about Midnight Son that I haven’t already said on this site. I really, really, genuinely love this film. I first saw it on a massive screen in a room with the sort of festival crowd that tends to shout and jeer at films as tradition, yet the film didn’t seem to meet any derision (only the usual shouting out of stock phrases, which happens at every film), which seemed surprising for what is ostensibly a romance. One way I have of gauging how much a film has really got to to me is whether or not there’s a massive grin on my face at the end of it. Sounds obvious, I know, but it’s the kind of grin that I got at the end of Dogtooth as much as I did at the end of Avengers Assemble – the content or tone of the film doesn’t really matter, that grin will happen. And it sure was there with Midnight Son, a film that builds up to its final scene with aching tension, in the drama of Jacob’s vampiric disease as much as in the relationship between him and Mary. It’s a glorious scene, every single element of the filmmaking coming together – the acting, the direction, the editing, and, my god, the music! That the film is indepently made and low budget only serves to add to the joy I take from it being just so. Damn. Good.

Annie: Just when I’d given up hope on the vampire genre. Just when I thought I’d never again see a glitter-free bloodsucker, along comes Midnight Son, a dark and seedy vampire tale set in the underbelly of modern day L.A. Midnight Son isn’t just a vampire tale, it’s a story of addiction and desperation, loneliness and isolation. It’s gruesome and filthy, but as radiantly beautiful as the sun-scapes painted by protagonist Jacob. Extra points for featuring Larry Cedar as a world weary cop.

Read Keri and Annie‘s reviews from 2012.

Pontypool (2008)

Annie: You know that old saying: Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me? Yeah, bullshit. Words CAN hurt, and they do in this incredibly intelligent quasi-zombie flick about a virus that infects its host through the common, everyday endearments we utter which become meaningless in repetition. A radio station in remote Canada seems an unlikely location for a final stand against possible apocalypse, but taking to the airwaves amid the crisis, gruff and grumbly DJ Mazzy becomes a beacon of hope reporting from his lighthouse. This is a weirdass movie, and not for fans of empty headed splatter and mindless violence. Beautifully articulated, it is to the horror genre what a thesaurus is to a child: mandatory.

Keri: You know, when I finally got to see Pontypool, I was at the point where, for me, the zombie movie was kaput. Done. No longer fun anymore. Zombies had become so ubiquitous that I didn’t care if they ran or not; I was just bored. Yet in one deft move, director Bruce McDonald reinvigorated the horror of the genre, by hinging his story on something rather different. The use of the term ‘meta-‘ in horror can tend to be a misspelling of ‘pretentious’ on occasion, but it really isn’t the case here. By extending the idea of language as having the capacity to ‘go viral’, a concept with which we are familiar, Pontypool sees language itself as the virus; words spread like wildfire, consuming the identities of those who catch them. It’s a fascinating idea and it’s done very well here, helped no end by the film’s casting. Note to filmmakers: it’s okay to have a central protagonist who is neither an ass-kicking heroine nor under the age of twenty five, as Stephen McHattie (playing DJ Grant Mazzy) ably demonstrates. This is a clever, though-provoking film.

Quin: I’m a big fan of Canadian director Bruce McDonald and he is not known for his horror films. He does, however do the surreal really well. Most of this works like a radio dramatization (not unlike the War of the Worlds broadcast of 1938) – it really allows your imagination to do a lot of the work. The less you know about the plot ahead of time, the better. This reminds me of a darker and stranger Talk Radio (a 1988 film written by and starring Eric Bogosian) but the only horror in that one is at the very end. Pontypool is a film that needs to be absorbed and it would benefit from multiple viewings.

Read Marc’s review from 2009 (be warned, it’s a bit spoilery).

We’re halfway there; ten more films to go. Read on for Part 3…

By Brutal As Hell staff – intro by Ben Bussey

And so it begins: our top 20 movies from the lifetime of Brutal As Hell.

When we decided to mark five years online by compiling a list of our overall favourite films to come out in this time, I always knew it was going to reap some interesting results. Over the days ahead, in four instalments, we will relay this list to you along with some thoughts from those among our team with a particular liking for the film in question – and while there will doubtless be some films you might have expected to see listed, I suspect there are also some inclusions that just might surprise you.

One important thing to note going in: these are not in preferential order. We decided against that almost immediately, as that might imply that these choices were in any way unanimous, which they most definitely weren’t. Indeed, there are those among us who actively dislike some of the films which made the cut (why, there’s a film on this very page which I for one don’t like at all).

But this, I think, is one of the strengths of Brutal As Hell. We don’t toe a party line. We don’t write to reflect the opinions of anyone but ourselves as individuals – and very often we disagree with one another.  But we’re united in our devotion to the horror genre, and our commitment to always saying what we think. (Incidentally, Tristan’s recent piece on the most divisive horror films of the last five years lists several which came close but didn’t quite make the cut.)

Of course, sometimes we find that our feelings about certain movies are quite similar – so you may see some similar observations made. What can we say, sometimes great minds just think alike. And ours, too.

Also, the more observant among you may note that we have a couple of films which were actually made prior to 2009, the year BAH went live. This was another point of some discussion, and we came to the conclusion that if the film in question was not widely available (i.e. on DVD or theatrical release) prior to 2009, then it was fair game. In any case, I think all the pre-2009 films listed are ones we would have been remiss to leave out.

Anyway, enough of my yacking. Here comes the first five of our top 20 – once again, in no particular order:

Let the Right One In (2008)

Nia: Let the Right One In is one of those achingly beautiful films that succeeds in being entirely effective rewatch after rewatch. While Tomas Alfredson’s direction is tight – as he proved again with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in 2011 – there’s no doubting that the incredible performances of the film’s two young leads make the film what it is. That two then twelve-ish year olds give such mature and complex performances is quite remarkable. Kåre Hedebrant imbues lonely and bullied Oskar with such vulnerability that it’s impossible not to feel a deep sympathy for the twisted child. Lina Leandersson’s performance as Eli is perhaps even more complex – she utterly convinces as a decades-old supernatural killer, and yet retains a degree of youthful innocence still. Eli’s expert manipulation of her ward, Hakan, is as much childish as it is vampiric. The moments in which Oskar and Eli are together are when the film truly soars. The scene in which Eli tells Oskar “Hit back, hard” is one of my favourites in the entire film, and it both demonstrates Alfredson’s directorial skill and the intensity of Hedebrant and Leandersson’s performances. Shot in extreme close-up, and their faces partially obscured, the young actors convey the intimacy of the scene, while Alfredsson deftly and subtly contrasts the two, all the while bringing them closer together. Sublime.

Ben: Mention vampires, and watch eyes roll. Hear the grumbles of “seen it all before.” Wait for someone to invoke the ‘T’ word. Yet not only did Let the Right One In prove that there is indeed still life in the vampire: it also used the archetype to craft easily one of the finest horror movies – indeed, one of the finest movies overall – of our time. Poignant, sensitive and heartfelt without getting slushy, and often surprisingly savage and gruesome without lapsing into cartoonish excess, Tomas Alfredson’s film is the benchmark by which any contemporary horror is measured, should it aim to resonate on a personal, emotional level. (I hear the remake wasn’t bad, but I still haven’t seen it; ultimately, I see no reason to.)

Read Marc’s review and Dustin’s review from 2009.

The House of the Devil (2009)

Steph: This was my first introduction to Ti West and the ‘mumblegore’ sub-genre as it has now been termed, and I was really taken aback by its sheer originality and ambition. For such a young filmmaker West has a singular vision and that is to be admired. It’s important to horror that we have people like West, along with Adam Wingard, E.L. Katz, Simon Barrett et al., who give viewers who don’t want to see the likes of Insidious or yet another Hollywood remake something to get excited about. The House of the Devil has a note perfect period setting, strong performances and it is genuinely creepy, proving that the slow burn is often the most effective way of creating tension, not just a cheap jump scare every ten minutes or so. Young indie filmmakers need to be applauded and supported by the fans, which is why I’m happy to see this film on the list. After this, The Innkeepers and soon The Sacrament, West is on a roll and I’m excited to see what he does next.

Quin: The House of the Devil is a slow and quiet horror film that has the look and feel of something from the late 70s or early 80s. For such a quiet, slow burning film, it uses sound beautifully to enhance the overall effect – whether it be the lack of music in most scenes, or the sound effects and editing. It gets the look of the period right and uses filmmaking techniques from the era, much like The Sleeper – but where that film has the look, it remains pretty shallow. The House of the Devil is much deeper. Ti West is without a doubt my favorite horror director of the last five years, and the acting in the film is flawless – from the newer faces like Jocelin Donahue, Greta Gerwig and A.J. Bowen, to cult favorites Mary Woronov, Tom Noonan and Dee Wallace. This is one of the best films of the last decade as well as one of the best films inspired by Satanic panic ever made. It’s also worth noting, while David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence has the honor of being the last film to get a VHS home video format release, The House of the Devil is available in a VHS/DVD bundle, you know, to enhance the experience. It’s a gimmick that is certainly not needed, but I sort of appreciate it too.

Read Dustin’s review from 2009.

Martyrs (2008)

Nia: My favourite cinematic experience involves watching Martyrs for the very first time. A full house of horror fans, almost all of us, I’m sure, not entirely sure what to expect. I’d known at the time that Martyrs had encountered some controversy on its domestic release in France. No amount of hype could have prepared me for the ensuing 90-ish minutes. The enduring memory, outside of the film, might be the direct aftermath – an audience of hardened horror fans, shuffling out of the cinema in hushed shock. I don’t remember anyone uttering a word until outside the cinema, and even then, I recall one of the few instances in my life where I was literally at a loss for words when someone asked me, ‘what did you think?’ Uniformly the people I spoke to felt a generally pleased sense of shock. In discussions since, I’ve learned that some long-time horror fans I know had been on the verge of walking out of the film – not out of disgust or outrage, but because of the sheer unbearableness of certain sequences. Martyrs is not a film for the faint of heart. It’s barely a film for the normal-of-heart. What starts off as an effective yet relatively standard horror formula becomes a stunningly brutal home invasion scenario, before descending into an existential ordeal in the belly of hell itself, its lofty philosophy made terribly immediate. The devils and monsters and victims of the film are all terrifyingly human, the entire piece coming together as a fable or fairy tale taken to its uttermost extremity. I’ve rewatched the film several times – many people I’ve known have outright said they would never watch the film again, despite being utterly engrossed upon first viewing – and although its initial impact has only very slightly diminished, it nevertheless remains powerful, moving and utterly terrifying.

Steph: Martyrs is a tough film to love; in fact, upon first viewing I wasn’t won over by it at all and was left wondering what all of the fuss was about. However, after revisiting the film on a number of occasions I’ve come to admire it very much, and I think it is perhaps the strongest film in the recent influx of extreme French cinema (Switchblade Romance, Inside, Frontiers etc.) As a woman and a fan of horror and cinema in general I’m often saddened by the lack of strong and interesting female characters, and here we have three of them. Anna and Lucie are both sympathetic, complex characters and the Mademoiselle is easily one of the most despicable bad guys (or ladies) ever committed to film. Obviously not for the faint of heart, Martyrs broke new ground and divided audiences. It proved to be a talking point amongst fans, and love it or loathe it you cannot deny the impact it has had in recent years.

Comix: Wow, what can I even say about this movie? The first time I saw it, I literally had to go outside and walk around just to make sure the world was still spinning. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, an incredibly visceral experience that put you right in the shoes of the girl who is experiencing it. Not only that, but it went beyond a horror movie and almost became philosophical, exploring the true depths of human fear. There was no flinching away at the bloody parts, no questioning what is happening, just simply a “can’t look away” horror film that makes you feel bad for everyone in it. Martyrs is beautiful and depressing all at the same time, like Requiem for a Dream but even more of a bummer. I’ve watched it twice and am too scared to watch it again.

Read Annie’s review from 2009.

REC Trilogy (2007/2009/2012)

Ben: Okay, so technically this trilogy began before Brutal As Hell came online – but I think we’re all agreed that for most if not all of us, it’s by far our favourite horror movie franchise of recent years. Fascinating really, as it takes two of the most overused tropes of the past decade – found footage, and zombies (let’s just call them that to keep it simple) – but manages to use them in such a way that it feels fresh, fun and thrilling, and at times truly scary. I know REC3 divided opinion by ditching found footage and going more comedic, but I loved it perhaps even more than the first two; it’s easily the most enjoyable Evil Dead 2-esque, tongue-in-cheek blood orgy of recent years, and Leticia Dolera’s chainsaw-wielding bride is surely the most iconic horror heroine of the century thus far.

Nia: I first saw REC on a laptop in student digs. Not the ideal way to watch a claustrophobic and frenetic found footage film, maybe, but boy did it get me good. I loved it, bought it, showed it to friends. I saw REC2 in the same manner, a film which managed to freak me out so much that I had to pause at one moment in order to catch my breath. What a joy, to experience a modern horror sequel which is equally as good as the first. The third film I also saw on DVD (on a TV this time, at least), and while the change in style and tone didn’t please everyone, I for one loved every silly second of it. For me then, this is a franchise that hits 3 for 3, Plaza and Balaguero providing scares and entertainment with supreme gusto. The consistent quality of the REC films is reflected in the fact that not only is it the only franchise to have made it into our top 20 (and only one other came anywhere close), but that it ranked so highly among our votes. It also highlights the disparity between found footage done very, very right, and the vast majority of the subgenre which ends up being done so very, very wrong. That the franchise itself hasn’t continued with the found footage device is indicative of thoughtful and talented filmmakers at work, ensuring that the conceit has never outlived its welcome. All this doesn’t half place a lot of pressure on the forthcoming REC4: Apocalypse, but on the strength of the franchise, I’m not too concerned that Balaguero won’t deliver (especially following the excellent Sleep Tight he’s made in the meantime since REC2). I also hope, hope, hope that REC4 is finally a REC film I get to see on the big screen!

Tristan: An admission to start with – I came to the REC films late. Last year in fact. Part of this was my reticence to jump on a bandwagon that everyone else seemed to be gladly clambering on (an extremely self-defeating attitude, especially as popularity often points to quality – although not always!), and part because, even five years ago, I was already getting a little sick of zombies and found footage. What a fool I was. Even after another five years of being bombarded by low budget horror films endlessly recycling the same tired ideas, REC feels fresh and smart, boasting a sly script, note perfect pacing, and, in Manuela Velasco, an engaging protagonist who goes from perky reporter to – well, no spoilers. The first sequel builds upon the basic premise of the original but manages to surprise the audience with various little twists and unexpected moments, and comes off very nearly as enjoyable as the first film. REC3, with a different director, cast and setting, attempted a change of tone for the lighter, and, although it counts other BAH writers amongst its fans, stands nowhere near the greatness of the previous entries for me. Thankfully original director Jaume Balagueró is back on board for the darker climax to the series, REC: Apocalypse, due in 2014.

Read Ben’s 2009 review of REC, Dustin’s 2010 review of REC2, and Nia’s 2012 review of REC3.

Some Guy Who Kills People (2011)

Annie: A splattery serial killer slasher film with a big candy heart, Some Guy Who Kills People is packed with quirk, spilling over with sweetness and brimming with big buckets of bloody guts. It’s everything a horror/comedy should be: funny as fuck, its three-dimensional characters brilliantly portrayed and its violence over the top gross-out perfect. This features one of the last appearances by horror icon Karen Black, although Barry Bostwick just about jerks the entire film out from under everyone as an irreverent sheriff.

Tristan: The horror genre’s dealings with mental illness over the years have generally left a lot to be desired – from the ‘escaped mental patient’ trope, to the sort of things (such as Polanski’s Repulsion) which place us in the downward spiral of madness, we’d be forgiven for thinking poor mental health equated with death and destruction in most instances. For this reason, among others, Some Guy Who Kills People blindsided me. Not only is it a genuinely sweet romantic comedy, it’s also a slasher movie which doesn’t skimp on the gore, features a cracking cast (shouts to Barry Bostwick’s scene-stealing performance, and the late Karen Black proving what a talent was taken from us in 2013), and places a damaged character at the centre of proceedings, treating him with sympathy and respect and making sure the laughs come from the right places. Now we can only live in hope that other film-makers will ease off on using the mentally ill as the bogeyman to frighten us with.

Ben: It’s no secret that a lot of us who get deeply into horror aren’t necessarily the most well-adjusted people. We’re all carrying variable weights of emotional baggage, from which we get some release via these ridiculous little films – but we’re still ordinary people living in the real world. Some Guy Who Kills People speaks to that wounded soul more directly and effectively than pretty much any other film I can think of from recent years, and most importantly it does so with a light heart and an optimistic outlook. And, of course, it’s bursting with hilariously funny dialogue, exemplary performances, and great splatter.

Read Annie and Ben‘s reviews from 2012.

So that’s the first five – read on for part two…

By Tristan Bishop

The horror film positively thrives on controversy – from the illicit thrill of the X rating introduced in the 1950s, to the Video Nasties debacle, shock and outrage is part of the lingua franca of the genre, and film-makers still find ways to rattle the cage after over 100 years.

Of course, controversy is not only measured in the outrageousness of a film’s content – and some of the more divisive films to have come out in Brutal As Hell’s lifetime have split the horror community (let alone the BAH staff!) for other reasons as well. So here’s a little rundown of the more noteworthy…

A Serbian Film (2010)

Where did it come from?
Serbia, rather unsurprisingly – in fact the debut feature of Srdan Spasojevic, who directed, produced and co-wrote.

What’s it about then?
An aging adult film star agrees to appear in an ‘art’ film for a huge amount of money. However he soon finds himself drugged and forced to participate in increasingly demeaning and immoral scenes.

Why is it so controversial?
This film is basically a catalogue of atrocities designed to offend almost everyone – reading the IMDB ‘parental information’ list for this one is a favourite party game. The unflinching scenes of sexual violence are hard to watch, and doubly so when young children (and in one memorable case, a new-born baby) are thrown into the mix. These scenes, although obviously faked (at least obvious to anyone who has ever seen a film before) landed the film in hot water. The Serbian government ordered an investigation into it, a whopping 19 minutes were cut for the American release, and the film was banned in Spain, Portugal, France, Austria, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Brazil – although oddly not in the UK, where a (still fairly heftily) cut version is available on DVD.

What happened to the film-makers?
Amazingly, Spasojevic isn’t languishing behind bars somewhere, and managed to direct one of the better, if perhaps slightly too arty, segments of ABCs Of Death (R is for Removed). Doubtless the horror world will be watching his next move with interest.

American Mary (2012)

Where did it come from?
Despite the title, Canada. The second film by those irrepressible identical twins the Soska sisters, who burst on the scene previously with the high-energy, zero-budget grindhouse thriller Dead Hooker In A Trunk.

What’s it about then?
A promising young medical student, after being drugged and raped by one of her professors, drops out and finds herself embroiled in the world of body modification, whilst simultaneously taking gruesome revenge.

Why is it so controversial?
This is an odd one in that the controversy was not generated by any extreme content. The rape scene, although effective, is shot sensitively and non-explicitly, and the body horror business, although occasionally disturbing, is nothing that would land the film in trouble. Rather this film divided the horror scene because of the buzz surrounding it – by the time many got to see it they were already sick of it, and the film’s extremely borderline status as a horror film (it’s basically a rape-revenge film, although totally unlike any you have seen before). This is certainly an understandable reaction (I’ve never seen Breaking Bad and I’m already bored of it), yet it somehow turned into a vicious online war regarding female film-makers, with some commentators equating the length of a director’s skirt with the size of their talent – which, whether you liked the film or not (and to my mind there is plenty to criticise as well as celebrate here), is blatantly A1 asshole behaviour.

What happened to the film-makers?
Well, no publicity is bad publicity, as they say. Despite American Mary barely troubling the cinematic mainstream, the waves of hype generated by the film and the larger-than-life personalities of the writer/directors mean the girls are keeping the work coming, with their segment in ABCs Of Death 2, and slasher sequel See No Evil 2 both due in 2014.

Antichrist (2009)

Where did it come from?
Danish arthouse bad boy and cinematic rule-breaker Lars Von Trier

What’s it all about then?
Your guess is as good as mine, frankly. Ostensibly about a couple (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe) who go on vacation to heal after the accidental death of their child.

Why is it so controversial?
Many, many reasons – not only in terms of content, but also reception. Von Trier serves up hardcore sex, some truly unpleasant gore scenes and queasy subject matter, but does it in a way so mannered and obscurist that the result is less a horror film and more a set text for film academics. Which isn’t to say that’s a bad thing or that the film is unwatchable (give me this over the director’s turgid Melancholia any day), but it’s certainly a talking point, and guaranteed you won’t find two people in the same room with the same opinion of this film.

What happened to the film-makers?
Getting booted out of Cannes for ill-advised (but humorously intended) Nazi comments aside, he has since made the aforementioned snooze-fest and is about to release two-part all-star hardcore porn epic Nymphomaniac, which will undoubtedly prove even more controversial than Antichrist.

The Human Centipede films (2009/2011)

Where did it come from?
The Netherlands and the fevered imagination of enfant terrible Tom Six.

What’s it about then?
Of all the films under discussion here, the Human Centipede films are the only ones to have truly entered popular consciousness, but if, like the titular insects, you actually have been living under a rock, here’s the gist – in the first film, a mad scientist kidnaps three people and stitches them together, mouth to arse, to make a three person sequence. The second film is an altogether stranger, self-referential proposition, as a deranged fan of the original film decides to kidnap several people and build his own centipede, using much less scientific methods than the original.

Why is it so controversial?
Originally, because of the vomit-inducing concept of having your face surgically attached to someone else’s digestive tract. Despite this the first film is fairly non-graphic, being a rather standard (although very enjoyable) mad doctor film . The second instalment, however, takes the notoriety gained by the original and plays off it, delivering a stark, surreal and extreme commentary on those who blame horror films for real life atrocities. The film, with staple guns replacing surgical needles, and scenes including sandpaper masturbation, was briefly banned in the UK, although an edited version was released soon afterwards. Despite the controversy, it’s an intelligent and surprisingly funny film.

What happened to the film-makers?
Tom Six, after much wrangling and apparent legal issues, has managed to persuade Deiter Laser and Laurence R Harvey – the villain/protagonists of parts 1 and 2 respectively, to return to the fold for the almost certainly even more bizarre third and final instalment, due in 2014.

Kill List (2011)

Where did it come from?
The UK, and from former TV director Ben Wheatley.

What’s it about then?
Without wanting to spoiler those who haven’t seen it, it concerns two hitmen who take on a job which leaves them over their heads in trouble.

Why is it so controversial?
Like American Mary this is one which divides opinion among horror fans. Some (myself included) lapped up the well-balanced characterisation and the deliberately uneven pace of the film, whilst some were left distinctly unimpressed by that same pace and the film’s remarkably similarity in structure (and ending!) to a certain other controversial film which may or may not appear on this list. Again, despite the lack of extreme material on show here, Kill List is a film it seems impossible not to have a strong opinion on.

What happened to the film-makers?
Mr Wheatley, even Kill List’s detractors will admit, quickly became the hottest new talent in the UK, following this up with the universally-adored horror comedy Sightseers, and the even more head-scratching English Civil War psychedelic witchcraft odyssey A Field In England. Although the less said about his ABCs Of Death segment the better.

Martyrs (2008)

Where did it come from?
France, from director Pascal Laugier, former assistant to Christophe Gans.

What’s it about then?
Again, hard to describe without major spoilers, let’s just say it’s a film about imprisonment, ordeal and human exploitation.

Why is it so controversial?
This one not only shocked people with extreme content – it’s certainly one of the nastier films that could conceivably be placed under the subgenre of ‘torture porn/ ordeal horror’, partially due to the skill with which it is made rather than explicit violence (although there is plenty of this too), but it also divided people critically as well, with as many feeling cheated by the out-of-left-field climax as felt exhilarated.

What happened to the film-makers?
Laugier went to the States to direct The Tall Man (2012) which went largely ignored by horror fans. He was scheduled to be involved in a Hellraiser remake, but his stated intention to bring the gay S&M elements to the fore upset the producers, who wanted yet another teen-focussed soft R-rated remake.

The Woman (2011)

Where did it come from?
The only film on this list from the USA, from director Lucky McKee, who had previously been behind horror fan favourite May (2002) and the best of the Masters Of Horror episodes (Sick Girl) amongst others.

What’s it about then?
A grim, unflinching feminist parable about a lawyer and supposed family man who captures a feral woman and attempts to ‘civilise’ her with increasingly brutal methods.

Why is it so controversial?
It’s a Jack Ketchum adaptation, so there’s enough rape, violence, misogyny and general grimness on show here to put anyone on edge, and McKee gives us very little direct comment on proceedings, leaving the audience to make their own minds up. The lack of likeable characters (or at least those with speaking parts) adds to the overall atmosphere of ordeal.

What happened to the film-makers?
McKee has made another feminist horror film since then, in the form of the much lighter, but outrageously enjoyable All Cheerleaders Die.

Editor’s note: as Brutal As Hell’s five year anniversary celebrations continue, be on the lookout for our top 20 films of the past five years – which just might feature the odd title from this very same list…

By Quin

As one of the newest contributors to Brutal As Hell (I started here in early September) I definitely don’t feel that I saw enough movies this year to come up with a list of films that deserve to be on a top 10 list. So, if you have a short attention span, have I got a list for you! I actually really love lists, so next year you can expect a much longer one from me, but for 2013 here are my Top 4.

4. The Jeffrey Dahmer Files – Directed by Chris James Thompson

I sometimes enjoy true crime documentaries, but rarely do they deviate from that Unsolved Mysteries made-for-TV tone. I had low expectations going into this, but was more than pleasantly surprised by what I saw. The film has a style that is reminiscent of an Errol Morris documentary – one that is also a bit similar to My Amityville Horror (a documentary from this year that I did not like at all). In this documentary, we get to see an interview with the lead detective who worked on the Jeffrey Dahmer case, who is fascinating to listen to. We also hear from the medical examiner and Dahmer’s next door neighbor. In the more than twenty years since Dahmer’s capture, this is the most information I have ever heard on the subject. I learned things I didn’t even know I wanted to know, the most poignant being the complex feelings described by the neighbour of wondering why she didn’t know something was wrong. The details of the crimes are gruesome and heartbreaking. The film also does re-enactments with Andrew Swant as Dahmer. The fact that this could have gone horribly wrong but doesn’t is another element that makes this a great documentary and one of the year’s best films.

3. Jug Face – Directed by Chad Crawford Kinkle – Starring Lauren Ashley Carter

This a weird, fun and quite original movie with top notch acting with campy undertones, a creepy atmosphere and excellent use of a low budget. I can’t think a film about religious horror that I’ve enjoyed more than this probably since The Wicker Man. For a more in depth assessment, you can read Keri’s review here.

2. Escape From Tomorrow – Directed by Randy Moore – Starring Roy Abramsohn and Elena Schuber

This quite easily made it to my number two spot this year. This is basically a nightmare filmed at the happiest place on earth. It’s a visually amazing and super fun trip through the Magic Kingdom. I am so happy this movie exists and even happier that they made it right – oh, and no one was squashed by Disney over this film. Yay! You can read everything I have to say about this wonderful film right here.

1. The Battery – Directed by Jeremy Gardner – Starring Jeremy Gardner and Adam Cronheim

Not only is this my favorite film of the year, it’s probably also going to be my favorite film of the decade. Jeez, I know the decade isn’t even half over yet, but that is just how much I love this film. The Battery blends three of my favorite things beautifully – zombies, indie rock and baseball. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’ve always been a zombie fan. I stuck it out through the years of awfulness, where everything was either a remake, found footage or a zombie movie. But The Battery breaths new life into the genre. The pace and cinematography may be too much for hardcore horror fans, but those of you who appreciate the art of cinema are sure to enjoy the smart script and gentle, visual poetry that looks like Terrence Malick directing an episode of The Walking Dead. This is truly beautiful undead art. (Keri’s review.)

By Ben Bussey

So – Tristan, Nia, Keri and Steph have all given their own accounts on the highs and lows of 2013, and I’ve been intrigued and in some ways very pleased to see that we haven’t just had the same films being listed over and over. I guess that’s partly because we didn’t all see the same films – I for one have missed quite a few that I hope to catch in the near future. But I guess it also reflects the diversity of taste within the BAH staff, and the mixed bag in general that 2013 has been.

Keri already mentioned quite astutely the way we tend to wind up in default disappointment mode when doing these end-of-year round-ups, and while I absolutely get where she’s coming from, I still can’t help feeling a little let down with the overall crop this year. This is mainly because I felt and still feel that 2012 was a really fantastic year, with a slew of great movies which I’m sure will stand the test of time. Still, there may be a few slow-burners among the 2013 releases, which – though they didn’t quite set the world ablaze this year – may well develop a reputation with time.

So, here’s my own personal rundown of the genre movies that I was most impressed with in 2013, in roughly preferential order…

10: Citadel

When I first sat through this at Abertoir 2012, I just had to tune out. The whole young man left alone holding the baby whilst surrounded by danger thing… as a father myself, it just hit too close to home. It was only when I gave it a second chance on its DVD release this year that I came to appreciate what an impressive piece of work it is. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed it, or that I’m in any rush to watch it again, but I have to give credit where it’s due: Citadel really unnerved me, and not too many movies manage that these days. (My review  – Tristan’s review. )

9: The Borderlands

Whaddya know – it’s another of the elusive few that has genuinely freaked me out of late, thanks to a wonderfully creepy conclusion that I most definitely won’t be spoiling.  The Borderlands also demonstrates how found footage can still work as long as it’s used intelligently, and the filmmakers don’t neglect to tell a fully-rounded story with fully-rounded characters, and make sure to hire decent actors to convey it all. (My review.)

 8: The Disco Exorcist

While I’ve yet to catch Discopath (one of Nia’s top ten), I had plenty of mirror ball- tinged fun with this jive-talking little movie, in fact made a couple of years ago, but only released on Region 2 DVD this year. Easily the best grindhouse/rewindhouse flick I’ve seen of late, not only because it apes a 70s aesthetic so brilliantly, but also because – again – it doesn’t neglect to tell a proper story, and to craft some genuinely creepy sequences despite the overall air of absurdity. And where it most deserves applause is how it unabashedly embraces the sexual elements which so many modern pseudo-grindhouse movies shy away from; it’s astonishingly close to soft porn, and I say that with love. (My review.)

7: I Didn’t Come Here To Die

This time last year, all I knew about this movie was that it had one of the worst hack-job DVD covers I’d ever seen. A few months on, that injustice stung even worse, once I saw the movie and found it to be a genuine pleasure.  A gory misadventure which also sat on the shelf a couple of years before hitting the streets, it’s a great example of microbudget filmmaking done right (some rather unconvincing day-for-night photography notwithstanding), and takes an agreeably unpredictable approach with material which might initially seem a bit obvious. If you think you’ve seen everything that can be done with a chainsaw, you need to check this one out. (My review.)

6: Motivational Growth

Of all the films I saw at Abertoir 2013, this is one I’m most eager to see again, as I get the impression it’s one of those cases where you see a different film every time. I’m still not sure if I really liked it as such, but I’m intrigued by it, and can honestly say I’ve never seen anything else quite like it; the way it blends diverse elements of body horror, slacker humour and psychological drama in a surreal, theatrical manner. (My review.)

5: Jug Face

Another one that gets a very high score on the uniqueness scale, not to mention big points for atmosphere and performances. We don’t get many movies which are based around such a bizarre core premise, but still credit the audience with enough intelligence to keep up. Jug Face is a fascinating, brilliantly performed piece, though it might not necessarily be anyone’s idea of a good time. (Keri’s review.)

4. You’re Next

Ah, but when it comes to having a good time at the movies, this one surely delivered above all else among widely released horror this year (though, yet again, it’s been on the shelf a couple of years). It is a shame You’re Next underperformed in cinemas, as it certainly had the potential to be a breakthrough hit with more mainstream audiences. It’s not too far removed from The Cabin in the Woods in the way it plays with genre conventions without alienating less genre-literate viewers, and it may well have launched a future scream queen and/or action heroine in Sharni Vinson, as something close to the bastard child of John Rambo and Nancy Thompson. (Dustin’s review.)

3: Byzantium

Another one that really got shafted in cinemas; I’m not sure it played anywhere for more than a week, which is a horrendous injustice given I’ve yet to hear a bad word said about it from anyone who’s seen it. A triumphant return to the supernatural for Neil Jordan, it’s a great showcase for every actor involved, and a really interesting new take on vampire lore, dwelling for once on a parent/child relationship rather than the more usual sexual dynamic. And, of course, it’s got Gemma Arterton in a corset, which can only ever make a film better. (Nia’s review.)

2: Curse of Chucky

No one is more surprised by this than me. Honestly, to date I could take or leave the Child’s Play movies; Bride of Chucky was the only one I ever really gave a damn about, and when I heard a back-to-basics sixth Chucky movie was on the way, I didn’t expect much. Goes to show you never can tell, as this may well be the best movie in the series thus far. Don Mancini has done his creation a great service with this semi-reboot, which makes Chucky well and truly menacing for the first time in ages. More than that, though, Curse of Chucky is a wonderfully atmospheric and tense movie in its own right, making brilliant use of its single location and stellar cast; Fiona Dourif is most definitely an actress to keep an eye on. (My review.)

1: Dead Sushi

Yes, really; my number one film of 2013 is also quite possibly the silliest. What can I say? Dead Sushi was, all things considered, the most satisfying new film experience I had all year. It’s so gloriously off-the-wall, yet so unexpectedly smart with it, brilliantly structured and truly witty. Surely Noboru Iguchi’s best work, it’s a world class comedy with wonderfully absurd gore gags, yet boasting genuinely great action scenes, and – yes – remarkably informative about sushi etiquette and appreciation at the same time. Really, how could any film in which Asami does the robot not be a masterpiece? (Tristan’s review.)

Bonus pick: taking it up to 11 with something that totally isn’t a horror film… Spring Breakers

I guess if Nia’s happy to name this her number one, I should feel no qualms about including it. Either way, I’m eager to reiterate how great Spring Breakers really is, as I don’t think it got half the love it deserved this year. Perhaps in years ahead, when the hype is forgotten, viewers will appreciate how remarkable, powerful and smart it is, and just how much it says about the world today. (My review.)

Guilty Pleasure: Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters

No, it really isn’t very good. It’s dumb, with a pretty lazy script and in some instances very lazy acting (coughJeremyRennerahem). But so what? It’s fun in that Army of Darkness/Sleepy Hollow way, and even though it comes up deficient in many respects, it’s one of those ones that will be easy to revisit over the years because it’s simple, undemanding and good for a giggle. Also – further evidence that Gemma Arterton in a corset can only make a film better. (My review.)

Biggest Turd of 2013: I Spit On Your Grave 2

I was briefly tempted to say The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears here, just to wilfully stir up some shit with my BAH colleagues… but as much as I disliked that one, there’s really no horror film in 2013 that was so painfully misconceived on every level than that rape revenge sequel that absolutely no one asked for. I don’t know what they thought they were doing with this, but it’s just a nasty piece of work in all the wrong ways. Oh, and to the poster quote whores who declared it ‘the best horror sequel ever,’ I hope you realise no one will ever take you seriously again. (Tristan’s review.)

By Stephanie Scaife

Following on from Tristan, Nia and Keri, here’s Steph with her take on the highs and lows of 2013, kicking off with her personal top ten…

1. Only God Forgives
Bizarre, violent, unquestionably pretentious but that combined with it’s couldn’t-give-a-fuck attitude is precisely why I loved Only God Forgives so much. Nicolas Winding Refn has produced a singular vision that has proven to be incredibly divisive and you’re unlikely to see anything else like it. (My review.)

2. Cheap Thrills
This anarchic punk rock feature debut from E.L. Katz really needs to be seen to be believed. A vicious indictment of the lengths desperate people will go to and a vicious warning of the perils of one-upmanship, yet at the same time incredibly funny and jaw-droppingly audacious. (My review.)

3. The Battery
The Battery is a tiny indie picture with a budget of just $6000 written, directed, produced by and starring Jeremy Gardner and the fact that he has managed to create something so good is testament to the old adage, where there’s a will there’s a way. (Keri’s review.)

4. Antiviral
There are a lot of first time directors on my list this year, which is great. What is also great is that they are producing such brave and original work. Antiviral may have its flaws but it is a visually striking satire on celebrity culture and worship. Brandon Cronenberg and his star Caleb Landry Jones both prove themselves ones to watch and I expect great things from them both. (Keri’s review.)

5. Maniac
Shock horror! A remake that is not only good but is actually better than the original. Elijah Wood shakes off any remnants of Hobbiton as Frank, a serial killer with a penchant for scalping his victims. Shot entirely in Frank’s POV, this could easily have been a gimmick but it works to chilling effect, only heightened by the fantastic score. (Keri’s review – Ben’s review.)

6. The Desert
As with The Battery, this is a low budget indie where the event (in both cases a zombie apocalypse) is secondary to the human relationships at its heart. This is about what actually happens to the people in the aftermath, and it’s profound and oddly romantic at its heart. (My review.)

7. We Are What We Are
Unbelievably, I have not one but two remakes on my list this year! We Are What We Are is a very different beast to the original and both work, but for quite different reasons. I like the gender switch and the gothic Americana of this version, and although I wouldn’t describe it as “better” than the original, it has made the story feel new and created a new mythology around a central theme. (My review.)

8. The Borderlands
I really don’t get the whole found footage thing and I have been genuinely surprised this year, not just with the continued appeal of this sub-genre but with the fact that there have been a few good ones. The Borderlands was unexpected for a number of reasons: it’s genuinely funny, it’s well executed and has some genuinely creepy moments. (Ben’s review.)

9.Willow Creek
Gosh… another found footage. I’m really going to have to reconsider my position when it comes to this sub-genre. As with The Borderlands, this is a very funny film indeed; clearly improvised and using real locals and locations, it creates a really naturalistic feel. The main horror also centres around a shot that lasts a good fifteen minutes without a single cut, which is a feat that the actors and filmmakers manage to pull off to great effect. (My review.)

10. A Field in England
I am a huge fan of Ben Wheatley and this homage to British folk horror is a fascinating oddity that is visually stunning and oftentimes baffling. It’s the sort of film that you experience and although it may not be to all tastes it should be commended for its audacity. Wheatley regular Michael Smiley is suitably terrifying as the mysterious O’Neil.

Honourable Mentions: Filth, Byzantium, Warm Bodies, In Fear, The Bay, Safe Haven segment in V/H/S 2

Most Underrated: How I Live Now – Unexpectedly bleak and brutal coming-of-age post apocalypse from Kevin Macdonald.

Most Overrated: The Conjuring – Dull, lazy and not in the least bit scary.

Pleasant Surprise: Willow Creek – A found footage movie that doesn’t suck? Thanks to Bobcat Goldthwait such a thing is indeed possible.

Most Disappointing: Pacific Rim – Guillermo del Toro, giant robots, monsters… this has got to be amazing, right? Nope, I fell asleep.

Worst Film: Machete Kills – Lazy, offensive and Mel Gibson.

Most Unnecessary: I Spit on Your Grave 2

Best Soundtrack: Maniac OST by Rob

“Holy Shit” Moment of the Year: Dog eating scene in Cheap Thrills.

Best Performance: Kristin Scott Thomas as Crystal in Only God Forgives, especially for the line “How many cocks can you entertain with that cute little cum-dumpster of yours?”

Best Genre TV: The Returned tied with Utopia.

Most Anticipated of 2014: Horns, Under the Skin, Only Lovers Left Alive, The Sacrament, Godzilla, How to Catch a Monster, Nymphomaniac (three of these titles were on my list last year, lets hope they actually get released in 2014!)

By Nia Edwards-Behi

2013 seems, to me, to have been a bit of strange year for horror. While a lot of excellent films have been released, I’m hard pressed to think of any that got me supremely, uniquely excited. Then again – there are a great deal of films from this year, as always, that I’ve yet to see, and a great number of the popular festival films this year are ones I didn’t especially enjoy. There have been moments this year when I’ve really questioned whether or not my own taste in genre film is completely out of sync with the majority, but each time I’ve thought that, I’ve realised that that’s exactly what makes writing about films interesting. As always, my list is quite heavily comprised of films not yet on general release, due in part to my own festival involvement. Hopefully, they’re ones that will continue to play festivals and go on to get released more widely in 2014. Without further ado then, here follows my top ten horror/genre films of 2013 (arranged in a very flexible and not particularly strongly-felt order of preference).

1. Spring Breakers

Surprised? If I travelled back in time to January 1st, 2013, and told my past-self that Spring Breakers would be anywhere on my end-of-year list, never mind at the top, I would have laughed in my own face. But, here it is, a stylish nightmare of a film that addresses youth, class, femininity, crime and punishment, starring bikini-clad stars and rocking a banging soundtrack. I unashamedly loved Spring Breakers, and while it’s clearly not a horror film, nor explicitly a genre film, it’s definitely that strange sort of art film that seems to straddle genre and defy characterisation. Ben’s review from earlier this year sums up a lot of my feelings on the film.

2. The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears

If Amer was a film that divided opinion, then Strange Colour definitely out-does its predecessor. It out-does it in style and foggy narrative, too, which was something I enjoyed immensely. I’m a big fan of apparent style-over-substance (see also Spring Breakers, above, and Kiss of the Damned below), but I’m an even bigger fan of it when there is, actually, quite a bit of substance involved. Strange Colour is a film I’m very excited to watch over and over again, to delve deeper into its imagery, symbolism and utter sumptuousness.

3. Kiss of the Damned

Another film that has seemed to divide opinion is Xan Cassavetes’s Euro-sleaze inspired vampire drama. Again, the style of the film completely won me over, heavily-accented acting included. It’s a slick melodrama, its leads Josephine de la Baume and Roxane Mesquida shining as vampiric sisters with apparently very different outlooks on un-life. If not for the high production values, the film might easily be mistaken for a rediscovered cult gem. The film’s poster might also be my favourite of the year (along with Strange Colours), so it’s with great annoyance that I’m looking forward to owning the generically-covered DVD early next year.

4. Byzantium

Yet more sultry vampires appear in Neil Jordan’s return to the sub-genre. The film is dominated by Gemma Arterton’s supremely dangerous temptress Clara, as she attempts to shield her daughter Eleanor (Saoirse Ronan) from the harsh realities of their world. The film offers a sad portrayal of vampirism, and a refreshing narrative, which is ultimately about the relationship between mother and daughter. (Read my full review here.)

5. All Cheerleaders Die

A film I suspect will divide people when it’s seen more widely, Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson’s latest film is a wicked and witty take on the mess that can be teenage relationships. Managing to be ridiculous, laugh-out-loud funny and yet incredibly dark, the film offers one hell of a ride – again, managing style and substance, if you’re willing to be receptive to both. The film might also feature the best opening sequence I’ve seen all year – one I’ll definitely be keeping unspoiled. (Read Tristan’s review.)

6. The Machine

It’s very exciting to feature a Welsh film on my end of year list. The Machine looks set for big things, having already won BAFTA Cymru and BIFA awards before it’s even been fully released. The film doesn’t exactly break new ground, but it doesn’t really need to, as it does what it does so well. Caity Lotz is incredibly impressive in her role the self-aware artificial intelligence taken from her maker to be utilised as a weapon. Given the film’s relatively low-budget, it looks stunning, and in many ways much better than bigger-budgeted sci-fi fare. Look out for a UK release early next year. (Ben’s review.)

7. The Man with the Iron Fists

For some reason this seemed to come and go with little fanfare and even less praise, yet when I saw it on DVD earlier in the year I couldn’t possibly have been more entertained. Yes, it’s a bit of a mess, but my god you can tell that director and co-writer RZA loves the films that inspire it. The Man with the Iron Fists offers a gloriously convoluted narrative vehicle for lashings of kung-fu action and wonderful performances (Russell Crowe’s never been better). Throw another ace soundtrack on top of all that, and here’s another film I could happily watch over and over again. (Ben’s review.)

8. The Station/Blood Glacier

Yes, this film is a lot like John Carpenter’s The Thing. However, it’s got a couple of aces up its sleeve that makes it stand out, though – a great sense of humour, and a badass middle-aged lady-politician who gets in on the action. The film is packed to the brim with likeable characters, which is always refreshing, and it’s inventive and pacy with its creature-feature elements. An absolute blast of a film, I’m looking forward to more people getting to enjoy it in 2014 (and just you wait for that ending).

9. Discopath

It’s a film about a guy who feels the impulse to kill when he hears disco music. I mean…what’s not to love? Quite a lot, according to some people, but damn their eyes, because Discopath is exactly what it should be – ridiculous, gory, and a heck of a lot of fun. Much like Kiss of the Damned and The Man with the Iron Fists, Discopath throws back to a different era with aplomb, and without any of that pretend scratchy film nonsense. And I still can’t get ‘I Was Made For Loving You’ out of my head.

10. Chastity Bites

I really hope that this film gets some wider attention, but I have a horrible feeling it’s going to be one of those utterly brilliant films that doesn’t get seen past some festivals and a limited DVD release (see: Travis Betz’s The Dead Inside from a couple of years back). Chastity Bites puts a very modern spin on the legend of Elizabeth Bathory, refiguring her as an abstinence teacher in an American high school. While other girls fall for her cover, and unwittingly become her perfect victims, it’s up to teen feminist blogger Leah to reveal the truth and save her friends and classmates. With a synopsis like that it’s probably clear that Chastity Bites isn’t for everyone, but it very definitely was for me. Charming and witty, the film holds up to repeat viewings and does wonderful things with genre conventions without ever coming across as smug, like so many of its peers.

Whittling a year’s worth of films to just ten is always difficult, and I must give special mention to the brilliant Pacific Rim on one end of the scale, Chanthaly on the other, as well as the excellently spooky The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh – and gosh, probably others I’ve foolishly and predictably forgotten about. Oh, and wondering why American Mary, released on DVD in January, isn’t on my list? Because it appeared at the very top of my list last year!

Of course, horror’s about the broader community as well as the films, and so here I also offer some personal highlights of the year, and, just to remind ourselves that everything’s not always brilliant, some, er, outstanding lowlights.

Personal highlights of the year:

– Bothering the Soskas in London and Sheffield when American Mary toured the UK in January
– Taking part in the Women in Horror calendar, raising money for charity alongside some far more well-known and talented people
– One Way Static’s Last House on the Left soundtrack re-release
– [smug] Co-organising yet another ace Abertoir [/smug]

Lowlights of the year:

– Joblo’s shameful comparison of ‘movie hotties’ Abigail Breslin (aged 17) and Chloe Grace Moretz (aged 16) to determine which of the two under-age actresses is more deserving of their sleazy attention
– The revelation of Lianne Spiderbaby’s plagarism
– Some of the more disgusting responses to Lianne Spiderbaby’s plagarism
– The trailer for I Spit on Your Grave 2’s DVD release being able to use ‘the best horror sequel ever!’ as a legitimate review quote.

And so onward to 2014. There’s possibly only one horror title that I’m really quite desperately looking forward to, and that’s one which many will have seen this year already – Only Lovers Left Alive. My hopes for Godzilla are high, and I hope that The Raid 2, Zombie TV and Gothic Lolita Battle Bear make it to the UK in 2014 too. What’s certain, though, is that, like every other year, there’ll be surprises in store and shocks a-plenty in 2014, so here’s to it!