I found 2015 to be a great year for horror. Granted, I see about 300% more films in a year than the average horror fan. But I was actually shocked at how difficult it was to narrow down my choices when going back and trying to select the five films that would grace my list this year. I sincerely hope that 2016 does as much to impress me as 2015 did.
I want to start by extending honorable mention to a few fantastic features that didn’t quite make the cut. I was really impressed with Kristy, Turbo Kid, Last Shift, Cub, and The Gift over the past year. But there were five other titles that edged them out of the top spots.
The Voices (Original Review)
I was blown away by Marjane Satrapi’s take on Michael R. Perry’s genius script. Ryan Reynolds is fantastic as a psychopath whose pets speak to him. Reynolds even lent his vocal talents to both Bosco and Mr. Whiskers. The Voices is equal parts fun and brutal and if you haven’t had the occasion to see it, you should track down a copy as soon as is humanly possible.
This has been a great year for horror comedy. Several of the installments on this list fit somewhere into that sub-genre and each one of them brought a dynamic blend of humor and horror. What We Do in the Shadows is definitely funnier than it is outright brutal but sometimes tipping the balance to one end or the other is just what fans need to see to mix things up a bit. And that’s exactly what this vampire mockumentary from the gents behind Flight of the Conchords did.
The Final Girls (Original Review)
This one had a lot to live up to, for me. I had heard such good things about it going in and I was a bit worried that it would wind up a victim of its own hype. But I was pleasantly surprised when I popped it in my Blu-ray player. This is a slasher spoof that gets nearly everything right and even recaptures the magic of the summer camp slashers we all revisit on the regular.
Tales of Halloween
This was a great year for holiday anthology horror. Both Tales of Halloween and A Christmas Horror Story saw release. Both were great films but Tales of Halloween was the clear winner for me. From the directorial talent involved to the clever manner in which each short exists in a shared universe, I could not have been more pleased with this outing. It will absolutely be on regular rotation in my household during the month of October and all year round.
The Editor (Original Review)
I love Astron 6 and I am pleased to say that their latest effort surpassed my expectations. The way that it simultaneously lampoons and pays homage to the gialli of seventies was such a welcome sight. From the bad dubbing to the absolutely outrageous amount of nudity to the camerawork, this feels like it could almost be a lost giallo from the late seventies. I think this one may have flown under the radar for some people, so if you haven’t yet checked it out, please give it a look!
