Poppascotchs Best Horror Movies of 2009 So Far
So we are now officially balls deep into 2009 (the year of the OX for those of you keeping that score). Looking back on the year in horror that drunkenly whizzed right past me, I was surprised to see that there weren’t a whole lot of really strong entries into the genre. Of course there were a few gems, but it seems like the best is yet to come with Halloween 2, Saw VI (this is not being used sarcastically), Carriers, Grace, Jennifer’s Body, Antichrist, Zombieland and The Box all slated to come out before the end of 2009.
I don’t want to come out and say that the first half of 2009 was full of worthless garbage, but let’s just make it easy and say that there were a few shiny bicycle parts and some quality half eaten sandwiches in the garbage pile. Well there I go again, sacrificing the article for comedic analogies. Seriously though, these five are all good movies and are worth checking out like a check out… person… in.. a… just shut up and read the damn list.
( below my picks are the ratings for the film in our database based on reader and staff reviews. Feel free to submit your own reviews as well )
5: The Burrowers (Dir: J.T. Petty): Synopsis: in the Dakota Territories (in 1879), a group of settlers, cavalrymen, and concerned citizens go off in search of a missing family that was thought to be kidnapped by a hostile Indian tribe. It turns out on their journey, they are the prey being hunted by a strange and terrifying group of creatures.
My Take: It’s not very often that we see a successful period horror film that isn’t some kind of hybrid of Science Fiction and horror in the future. Mixing the old west and horror has of course been done before, but in most cases, the time and setting seem more like a novelty than a crucial part of the story. It’s almost as if the DVD cover just screams “HEY CHECK THIS OUT! VAMPIRES! AND COWBOYS!”. The Burrowers is the rare exception being a period film with a terrifying and troubling creature that seems as if it could realistically exist in the world of the film. Add in some solid acting performances and you have yourself a movie that’s well worth its weight in silver deplume.
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The Burrowers From its opening images of the Dakota territories in 1879, The Burrowers appears to be every inch a Western. But in the hands of writer/director J.T. Petty, The Burrowers probes horrors that no Western could ever fathom. What be... |
4: The Last House on the Left (Dir: Dennis Iliadis): Synopsis: It’s easier if I just sum this up in Walken like sentences. Two girls smoke pot, get abducted by a family of psychos, get sexually assaulted, and after all the horror is seemingly over, the crazy family gang takes refuge in a quaint vacation home. The home just happens to belong to the parents of one of the girls.
My Take: It is hard to get behind a movie that is a remake of a film that was in and of itself heavily inspired (ripped off) by a classic (The Virgin Spring). What I do like about this interpretation of the story is that fact that in a time when movies are getting toned down and bloodless in order to secure a PG-13 rating, 2009’s The Last House on the Left went for the hard R home run. We have a rape scene that is toned down from the original, but is still disturbing and effective. Also we get to see a little more badassery out of the parents. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but let’s say that they enthusiastically go on the offensive.
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The Last House on the Left (2009) Masters of horror Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham revisit their landmark film that launched Craven’s directing career and influenced decades of horror films to follow: The Last House on the Left.Bringing one of... |
3: Donkey Punch (Dir: Oliver Blackburn): Synopsis: A group of British hotties meet a group of studly British men in Spain and during a night of illicit substances and sexual situation, one of the women gets killed via Donkey Punch. (That’s how I want to go FYI)
My Take: Look I know I’m really stretching here. The movie came out in 08 but I didn’t have access to it until it came out on DVD in April of 09 so I’m counting it as 2009. It’s not because I think that it is very difficult to pull out a top 5 in the middle of this particular year (kind of), it’s because I feel that Donkey Punch is an underrated movie that doesn’t get the fan fare it deserves. Sure the premise is a little ridiculous, but once you get past how the character died, it become a tense and gory thriller pulling out the horrific answers from within the viewer (you) as to what you would do in the same situation. It’s a well played thriller and if you haven’t seen it yet, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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Donkey Punch Three gorgeous ladies on holiday in a Mediterranean beach town are determined to let their hair down and leave their troubles behind. The festivities begin at a nightclub, where libations flow and libidos grow. As luck would have ... |
2: Drag Me to Hell (Dir: Sam Raimi): Synopsis: A loan officer evicts an old woman from her home in order to prove herself and get a promotion at work. Unfortunately, that old woman that she evicted puts a curse on her which turns her life into a living hell.
My Take: The triumphant return of Sam Raimi to the horror genre wasn’t the tidal wave that the genre needed, but it was a great standing film nonetheless. I was expecting more of a straight forward horror film (no idea why) but instead I was shown a horror movie that not only delivered on the fear and scares, but also in the comedy department. It made me want to watch Evil Dead yet another time and any movie that makes me feel that way, I see as a success.
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Drag Me To Hell Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extens... |
1: Dead Snow (Dir: Tommy Wirkola) Synopsis: From IMDB - A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies.
My Take: What about that synopsis doesn’t sound absolutely amazing? I got a chance to check out a screening of the film and I will say that it will definitely be in the running for best of the year in horror. What really turned me on to the film was that as I was watching it, it seemed to be setting itself up to hit every horror cliché in history. Everything in the first 20 minutes can be predicted and soon after a slow evolution happens where the movie goes from familiar territory to exploitation era awesomeness. When this one hits DVD or some kind of legal internet video download whatever-the-hell, make sure you are ready for a great ride.
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Dead Snow (2009) A limited release through IFC. The story follows a group of friends who drive to a cabin in Norway where German troops were slaughtered by locals in 1945. Now the undead zombie Nazis are coming alive to feast. Besides zombies, the... |