E's Top Horror Movies of 2018

Well y'all, the end of 2018 is finally here! We had a lot of great fun this year, and had a lot of horror movies come out in cinemas, on streaming services, and direct to DVD/Blu-Ray. Some of them were downright chilling, some were made just to entertain and for the viewer to have fun with, and some were done just for a cash grab (I'm looking at you, The Nun). But something we can all agree on, is that the horror genre is not dying, it's not going stale, there are still a ton of original, interesting ideas out there, and there are a ton of films that deserve to be seen. For me, personally, this was the year where independent cinema really grabbed hold of me. There was a lot of very very good indie films that came out in 2018, and a few of them dug deep into my very soul and chilled me to the bone, so expect to see a few indie titles on this list. I couldn't really rank these movies from 1-10, so instead I'll do a mini review of each one with my score for each one. In no particular order, here are my top horror movies of 2018.

OVERLORD is a war movie that features quite a bit of action and horror elements. It centers around a team of soldiers who have to infiltrate a Nazi stronghold on the eve of D-Day. Tasked with destroying the communications tower, they also uncover that the Nazis are experimenting on people, creating super-zombies. The team must now come together to stop these experiments before all is lost. This movie was, simply put, a badass action film that had some really great effects, some amazing fun, and Wyatt Russell doing his best impersonation of his dad, Kurt. The cast was great, the film was action packed, and the effects were just a ton of fun to see. This movie, was straight up badass. My score: 10/10

SUSPIRIA (2018) is the remake of Dario Argento's film of the same name, and is about a coven of witches, all vying for power, and using a dance school to hide a ritual that will rebirth their God. This movie had a ton of gorgeous visuals, excellent use of color, a score that chilled me, and gave me nightmares. Some of the things you'll see on screen are both sexual and disturbing at the same time. The biggest surprise to me was just how amazing Dakota Johnson was in this film. She captured my attention from the very moment I saw her on screen. There were also quite a few moments that genuinely disturbed me (that scene where the girl gets turned into a human pretzel? Jesus...) The film felt demonic and evil, yet beautiful to watch. The cast is superb and was definitely one you should not miss. My score: 9.5/10

HALLOWEEN (2018) is not a remake but is a direct sequel to the original Halloween from 1978. In this sequel, we see Laurie Strode waiting for her brother Michael (the serial killer, not the guy who voiced Shrek...) to escape so she can finally put him down once and for all. There are a bunch of kills in this movie, it's got a pretty good cast, Jamie Lee Curtis is a badass grandma, and the blood, gore, and kills? They're amazing. The score is terrifying, Michael is a straight up MONSTER in this movie, and it definitely lives up to the hyper. Gone was the cheese of the previous films (seriously guys...he's not some supernatural being anymore...thank God...) and they just push the serial killer tension and suspense that made the first film so amazing. Amazingly enough...this also just came out today on digital! Go get it now! My score: 9/10

SUMMER OF 84 is an indie feature that fell under the radar for a lot of people. In my city it got almost zero screens showing it (except for a couple of midnight showings) but it did get released same day on digital, which is when I jumped at the opportunity to buy it. This film is a coming of age tale that takes it's beats from Alfred Hitchcock and delivers a tense thrill-ride from beginning to end. A group of teens are enjoying their summer when they start investigating one of their neighbors, who happens to be a cop, believing him to be an abductor of children and murderer. What we get out of this movie, is classic mystery and slasher style horror that, when it ends, will leave your blood cold as ice. The writing, the acting, the visuals, the music, everything about this movie deserves to be praised. I cannot say enough just how much this movie blew me away. My score: 9/10

A QUIET PLACE was the directorial debut for John Krasinski (yes, that John Krasinski...from The Office...) and what a debut it was! A family must survive in a world where making a sound will attract creatures who will...well...eat you..and hunt by sound. A father and mother must protect their children, including their deaf daughter, from these creatures. What we get is an amazing debut from Krasinski, we get a stellar performance from him and real life wife Emily Blunt, and we get sequences of horror that keep you on the edge the entire time. Seriously, when I saw this in theaters, you could hear a pin drop. The creatures are scary, the sequences where they must stay quiet are tense, the cast is amazing, and there are lots of moments (particularly the beginning and ending...) that will tug very hard at your feels (seriously, I cried...I was shocked they did that). My score: 10/10

UPGRADE is just...well...it's bat-shit insanity is what it is! A sci-fi revenge thriller that centers on a man who, after a horrific attack that kills his wife, is left paralyzed. After he gets a second chance at life by having an artificial intelligence implanted in his body, he goes on a quest to find out who and why his wife was murdered...and we get some of the bloodiest and horrific violence on screen. There's amazing sequences of action, incredible music, an a performance from lead Logan Marshall-Green that makes me believe he can, and will, someday carry a franchise of films. Seriously, he's incredible in this movie. There are sequences where he's fighting someone and his face says it all, the horror on his face...and then that ending? Pure genius from director Leigh Wannell. My score: 9.5/10

HEREDITARY was one of the biggest horror dramas of the year. For me, the true horror of the film was just the feeling of hopelessness throughout. This film is about family...and despair...and dealing with those feelings of hopelessness and sadness...and trust me, that's all I'm going to say about the plot because holy cow...This movie features some very very dark themes and a supernatural element that ultimately takes over and destroys this poor family. Toni Collette is INCREDIBLE in this movie (SOMEONE GET HER AN OSCAR!!!) The cast is tremendously talented, the visuals are frightening, the home this family lives in feels bleak and depressing, the mood throughout really was one of sadness, and it definitely shocked me to my core. Just wish they did more drama and less with the ghastly images, because nothing scares more than real stuff like family drama. My score: 8.5/10

THE DEVIL'S DOORWAY is a found footage horror film. In the fall of 1960, Father Thomas Riley and Father John Thornton were sent by the Vatican to investigate a miraculous event in an Irish home for 'fallen women', only to uncover something much more horrific. This film is the directorial debut for Aislinn Clarke and she truly made me believe that the genre is definitely not dead. Found footage is here to stay, my friends, and this one is a downright chiller. There is a creepy atmosphere throughout, the visuals are terrifying, the acting is very well done, and there is a feeling of dread every time the cameras come on. There are few found footage movies these days that scare me, but this one really did put me on edge. Considering my religious belief, this movie made me terrified to ever step foot in a convent....ever. My score: 9.5/10

HELL FEST is one of those throwback slasher movies that features an interesting killer, a fun cast, and kills that take you back to the glory days of the cheesy 80's! A group of friends go to one of those big haunts that open up around Halloween, and are stalked and ultimately killed one by one by a killer who goes to these haunts and...well...kills people who aren't afraid. I know, this movie is cheesy, and it's considered "bad" by a lot of critics, but considering this movie was my kick-off to the Halloween season this year, it was just so much damned fun. I loved the killer's look, I loved the cast, the music, the kills, everything about it just entertained the hell out of me. And that ending? Holy cow....I did not see that coming. They also did this clever thing where they never named the killer or even showed his face, which to me made it that much more meta and fun for the audience. My score: 10/10

PYEWACKET is another family drama horror thriller that is about a teenage girl who cannot cope with the death of her father, so she turns to the occult. She summons a demon to get back at her mom, only to see it backfire in disastrous ways. This is another independent feature that fell under the radar for a lot of people and, while I do understand it came out in 2017, this film didn't really hit theaters until this year. I couldn't get out to see it, so I bought it on digital and man, this one got to me. There are some interesting visuals where the demon is shown here and there but always just out of focus. There's an entertaining to watch cast, and the motives for the angsty teen daughter actually connected with me, since I was an angst-ridden teen myself at one time (weren't we all?) Combine a great cast with some great writing, and you have an intriguing family horror film that ends in tragedy. It'll also keep you out of the forest...for real. My score: 8.5/10

So there you have it! My list for the top horror movies of 2018!! Honorable mentions go to Blumhouse's Truth or Dare (no, really, this movie entertained the hell out of me, I could not stop laughing!), The Meg, The Predator, and The Nun (why The Nun? Cause despite it's failure as a film, the Nun herself was actually quite scary...we needed more of that.)

Here's hoping 2019 will deliver more shocks, more scares, and more blood! Happy New Year everyone!