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Top 5 Horror movies/shows of 2018

30 Sunday Dec 2018

Posted by in Best Movies and Shows

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5. Birdbox

This may have been a late entry, but it made such an impact on the Surgeons team that two members of the Surgeons team instantly placed it in their Top three movies of the year. For this reason, the Sandra Bullock post-apocalyptic thriller by director Susanne Bier finds itself in the Top five list.

“Great example how the best horror is shown but not seen. (“See” what i did there?)” – Dr. Yee

“When the world starts going mad, a single look could get you killed. Bird Box is engaging from the start. Packed with tense moments and like most good post apocalyptic movies it deals with trust, loyalty and the lengths people will go to for survival and to protect the ones they love. It does often bear similarities to other films in the genre but there are a few fresh ideas here to enjoy.
Overall it was a great experience, loaded with tension and solid performances.” – Dr. Allford

4. Suspiria

Here’s another example of one of our top rated movies dividing the thoughts and opinions of our Surgeons, as you will see from the quotes below, but this re-imagining of the Argento classic from the mind of Luca Guadagnino, starring Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson does enough to shimmy its way into the top four spot in our countdown, proving that perhaps style can outweigh substance. (You biatch!! – Editor)

“It’s a slow-burn movie that grinds its way to a stumbled conclusion.
The drama is gritty and realistic with some stunning performances and dramatic dance sequences that hook you in, but rather than set you ablaze in a fury of emotion, it peeters out to a mere whimper.” – Dr. Muerte

“Out the gate the new Suspiria makes it clear it reveres the original but will not retread it’s steps, absolving a lot of fears I had going in, the focus on the witches coven politics and each slow and gorgeous turn of the screw that the main characters suffer is hypnotic.” – Dr. Jack

3. The Haunting of Hill House

Marking the only entry for a TV series this year, The Haunting of Hill House by the brilliant mind of Mike Flanagan deserves its place in the Top three for shaking up the medium on the small screen by providing in-depth characters on a journey that challenges the mind and captures the very essence of your classic ghost story. We were already fans of Flanagan’s work and he has once again proved to be a modern storyteller with his finger firmly on the horror pulse. Doctor Sleep can’t come soon enough.

“This is a fantastically complex gothic horror story for the Netflix generation.” – Dr. Davies

“Very hard to sustain quality horror over even a handful of eps. The fact HoHH did it over 10 is a testimony to its writing.” – Dr. Yee

2. Mandy

It may not be everyones taste, but this crazed, psychedelic, mind-fuck that takes Nicolas Cage to the height of rage and fury, hell-bent on seeking revenge certainly left a mark this year. Mandy is a life-form of its own and its originality coupled with a savage journey thrust this centre stage of our top horror list. Two of our surgeons are still in recovery from the sheer orgasmic attack on their senses from watching this cult-film in the making.

“Beware of your strive for beauty and perfection. Slice it open and you get a reign of anarchy and destruction.” – Dr. Muerte

“This heavy metal horror was quite simply a work of visual and audio genius.” – Dr. Davies

1. A Quiet Place

Hands down, no other film on this list had such a huge impact after watching. Despite its early release in the year, two of the Surgeons laid down the gauntlet of prediction and labelled this as the Movie of the Year. A bold statement, and A Quiet Place had its fair share of challengers, but the strength of the premise along with the simple, heart-breaking narrative kept it firmly in the no.1 spot.

“Tension ratcheted to 10 at the start and wound to 11 soon after and never. Lets. Go. Great writing,  great performances and great directing. The fact it was done by Jim from the office is even more remarkable.” – Dr. Yee

Series review: The Haunting of Hill House S1

15 Monday Oct 2018

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“I am home”, writes Steven Crain.

Hill House may well have been home for the Crain family, but it also holds the key to a life defining memory. Flashing back and forth between past and present, this haunted house yarn is about the psychological effects of events that lead to them abruptly fleeing a haunted house in the dead of night many years earlier.

“The Haunting of Hill House” is a genre busting ghost story with more levels than the house at its core. Using the Shirley Jackson novel (previously seen as “The Haunting” – both as the 1963 Robert Wise film and the 1999 Jan De Bont film) as its source material, master of horror Mike Flanagan has meticulously crafted a 10 part horror series for Netflix that is as much a traditional gothic horror as it is a story about how a family handles the traumatic stress of a horrific experience none of us could ever imagine. So essentially this is for anyone who wondered what was next for the Lutz family after “The Amityville Horror” or the Freelings post “Poltergeist”.

This is about the PTSD of horror and while they all have their ghosts to reconcile, these ones are literal.

Now this all may seem extremely heavy stuff, but there is still a good old fashioned ‘scare-ya-silly’ ghost story here and believe me it’s a frightening one too. The frights are drip fed when you least expect it and there’s creepiness resplendent too if you just keep your eyes open from behind that cushion.

But what makes this stand out as quite possibly the best horror of 2018 is the well developed characters, the incredible writing, and the heart (or boob) thumping performances. All of the actors throw their all into the work too and it’s evident in such stand out episodes as; “The Bent necked woman” that has one of the craziest WTF moments in horror history and “Two Storms” which is almost theatre. The almost hour long episode of “Two Storms” plays out over five cuts, as the characters all bounce off each other in long, incredibly choreographed 15-23 min takes.

Mike Flanagan has steadily crafted a brilliant career in horror films since his stellar debut film “Absentia”. Over the years he’s reinvigorated a franchise, with the prequel “Ouija: Origin of Evil”, directed a couple of Netflix exclusive films “Hush”, and the brilliant Stephen King adaptation “Gerald’s Game”, and is soon to direct another King adaptation “Doctor Sleep” (“The Shining” sequel). So it’s really no surprise his latest entry is his best…so far. There’s a familiar look to his work, a colour palette of greys and oranges, and a troop of regular actors that include the always amazing Carla Gugino, the outstanding Elizabeth Reaser, and Flanagan’s wife, Kate Siegel, who has her best role yet. Talking of actors, who knew ET’s Henry Thomas and Timothy Hutton looked so alike, here they play the role of Hugh Crain at various stages in his life and my god the similarity is uncanny.

 

The Diagnosis:

Look, while this is very loosely based on the Shirley Jackson novel, it’s not a direct adaptation in the slightest, but it still has the locked red door, the spiral staircase, and spooky housekeeper Mrs Dudley. This is a fantastically complex gothic horror story for the Netflix generation.

  • Myles Davies