Steven Wood's Best/Worst Movies of 2015
2015 has been a great year in the horror department, at least in terms of movies, and at least for the ones that I've seen. I wanted to share a list of the better movies I've watched this year, though not all of them are strictly horror, but close enough. Some I've reviewed for Horror DNA, some I haven't, but they're all worth mentioning. I'll start off with the best of 2015, plus some honorable mentions, followed by my worst of the year.
Enjoy.
Or don't.
I don't care.
10. The Visit It was nice to see a great return to form for M. Night Shyamalan. After being ridiculed for damn near a decade, he was still able to release something completely worthwhile and entertaining. The best thing he did was almost completely remove himself from the trailers; but the worst thing he did was include a little white boy wannabe rapper. While The Visit is good, it has some of the most cringe-worthy moments of 2015. |
08. The Encounter What can I say? I'm a sucker for aliens, but only if it's done right. The Encounter is the best alien/alien abduction movie since 1993's Fire in The Sky; which is saying a lot since Netflix is bombarded alien-related movies in any given month. I reviewed this one for Horror DNA, so go ahead and check it out. |
06. Bloodsucking Bastards I can say that without a doubt, Bloodsucking Bastards is the best horror/comedy of 2015. The main reason for that is that the humor is equal to the horror/violence. This was probably the most fun I've had writing a review, especially considering I knew I'd be interviewing the lead Fran Kranz, which can be read HERE. Hell, a quote from my review even made some press images for the DVD. |
04. Parallels Anyone remember the '90s Jerry O'Connell sci-fi show Sliders? If so, then you're in for a treat with Parallels, which is essentially the same idea, though not the same method of travel, if that makes sense. There is a lot of "we need to get back to where we originally started" type of dialogue, which will give you the Sliders feel almost immediately. Director Christopher Leone has stated that he does plan on making at least one sequel to Parallels, so my hopes are high. |
03. The Final Girls Imagine if Jamie Kennedy's Randy character from the movie Scream was somehow inserted into the '90s action flick Last Action Hero. If you can pull those references together, you'd understand what makes The Final Girls so special. This movie essentially mixes the backstory of Friday the 13th, a character from Scream and the absurd plot of The Last Action Hero. Depending on the type of person you are, you'll either hate that idea or think that it's an idea of a lifetime; I'm in that latter. |
01. Bone Tomahawk There is no way in my mind I could have thought that in 2015 I'd have Kurt Russell in my top two movies of the year, and being horror related on top of that. Everything with Bone Tomahawk is perfect from the casting to the location to the violence. The brutality on screen is so abrupt and intense to the point of wanting to look away. Possibly the biggest achievement is that S. Craig Zahler (writer/director) has no other experience helming a movie, let alone a rather large production involving a very recognizable cast. His story and execution of said story is second to none. |
These next few were really good, but I couldn't fit them anywhere into the above list; in no particular order:
Goodnight Mommy Creepy and unnerving basically sums up the vibe that Goodnight Mommy puts forth. A bit of a head scratcher and something you'll most likely want, or need, to watch twice. |
Tales of Halloween Anthology films can be hit or miss, especially when the segments are attempting to intertwine with one another. Tales of Halloween is both fun and done very well all at the same time. The stand out segment has to be "The Night that Billy Raised Hell". |
A Christmas Horror Story A Christmas Horror Story is another anthology, and equally worth the watch, especially if you enjoy seeing elves ripped apart. |
What good would a Best list be without the Worst? I had the privilege of reviewing all of the following pieces of shit, and my reviews cover all that I care to say about them; again, in no particular order:
This is the first best/worst list I've created since writing for Horror DNA, so I'm glad this year had some worthwhile titles. Sadly, I didn't get a chance to catch The Revenant, but if I did, I'm sure it would have made my list.
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
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