I'm really surprised that Lamb has a Metacritic score in the 60s and thus didn't make this list. That was definitely my top horror movie of last year, though some people might classify it differently. Is "existential dread" a genre? Anyway, maybe the inherent strangeness of the premise or the bummer ending turned people off, but I think it was very well-made, unsettling, and had a story that I still ruminate over (no pun intended).
Also, it's so fascinating that A24 is just about the only film distributor that has such a strong brand at this point that a lot of my friends and I will basically see anything they put out just based on it being A24. That might be a good topic for a future article, to explore that phenomenon. I can't think of another example, except maybe Pixar back in the day, of a studio or distributor curating their content so carefully that a certain group of people are going to see the movies more because of that stamp of quality than any actors or directors or the plot of the film.
Would be interested to hear Scott's top 5 horror movies for 2021. I agree with the preamble that the so-called "elevated" horror movies tend to be better reviewed, but there are only so many slow-moving, quietly creepy movies I can watch without falling asleep. On the other end of the spectrum, I quite enjoyed Malignant. The aforementioned Candyman, Don't Breathe 2, and Quiet Place 2 were all decent, but I feel like I must have missed some high quality horror this past year.
Surely the greatest horror film of 2021 was Malignant. Resolutely unelevated and gloriously fun, even a bit scary at points. Anyway, I really loved it though I can imagine a lot of people found it too arch.
The other sorta notable one that comes to mind is The Night House, which I know a lot of people really liked, but I thought was marred by a pretty unconvinced third act.
Of the ones on this list, I think I’ve only seen Saint Maud, which was certainly effectively creepy.
Very glad you watched Sator, a below-the-radar debut that I found super compelling. The Filmmaker article on its making is super fascinating. And Saint Maud is terrific!
I have a soft spot for Psycho Goreman, probably because I saw it in a gleefully cathartic theatrical screening, although calling it horror is a stretch.
My other highlight horrors of 2021 according to Letterboxd are either 2020 bleedovers (The Empty Man, Gretel and Hansel) or only debatably horror (Coming Home In The Dark, more thriller really) or probably a 2022 release (Mad God).
Oh man, this is a cool idea for a feature. I'm an obscenely big nerd about horror and I have two pretty solid 'maybe-under-the-radar' recs for ya Scott:
- The Medium by Banjong Pisanthanakun - holy hell, this legit works as found footage elevated horror and the ending is devastating. Easily the best horror movie I saw all year. (I'd put Saint Maud up there too.)
- Wrong Turn by Mike P. Nelson - I've never given a shit about this long-running garbage-ass series, maybe the worst 'has many sequels' horror franchise in the game, but this reboot does a great job of squinting at the premise, saying "oh wait, how about we do it this way" and having a lot of fun with it. If this was a straight up new horror movie w/out the Wrong Turn baggage, I think it'd have gotten a lot more attention. It's ain't elevated at ALL but it sure does work. It even made me enjoy Matthew Modine!
The only one I've seen out of these five is Candyman. The original film would be in consideration for my top ten ever, so I was pretty pleased to get a largely satisfying sequel even it needed to be longer and more fleshed out (which I almost NEVER say anymore).
Good to know Saint Maud is streaming on a platform I have, I've had that one on my list since Josh from Filmspotting started raving about it early last year.
A marvelous slow burn horror movie from last year that I wish more people saw and knew about is MY HEART CAN’T BEAT UNLESS YOU TELL IT TO. It’s about a family of adult siblings where the youngest is a vampire, and works as an allegory of addiction and codependency. Strong stuff.
Also recommended: JOHN AND THE HOLE. It’s got a fascinating framing device, and I don’t generally like framing devices. And shot in aspect ratio and on 35mm!
A bit surprised The Vigil didn't make it anywhere, though it might be considered a 2020 film due to festival releases. Either way, i thought it was extraordinarily effective and a welcome change with the use of Jewish culture and folklore. It's about trauma but it helps that the demon itself feeds off that, and it's first and foremost about the scares.
I'm really surprised that Lamb has a Metacritic score in the 60s and thus didn't make this list. That was definitely my top horror movie of last year, though some people might classify it differently. Is "existential dread" a genre? Anyway, maybe the inherent strangeness of the premise or the bummer ending turned people off, but I think it was very well-made, unsettling, and had a story that I still ruminate over (no pun intended).
Also, it's so fascinating that A24 is just about the only film distributor that has such a strong brand at this point that a lot of my friends and I will basically see anything they put out just based on it being A24. That might be a good topic for a future article, to explore that phenomenon. I can't think of another example, except maybe Pixar back in the day, of a studio or distributor curating their content so carefully that a certain group of people are going to see the movies more because of that stamp of quality than any actors or directors or the plot of the film.
Would be interested to hear Scott's top 5 horror movies for 2021. I agree with the preamble that the so-called "elevated" horror movies tend to be better reviewed, but there are only so many slow-moving, quietly creepy movies I can watch without falling asleep. On the other end of the spectrum, I quite enjoyed Malignant. The aforementioned Candyman, Don't Breathe 2, and Quiet Place 2 were all decent, but I feel like I must have missed some high quality horror this past year.
Surely the greatest horror film of 2021 was Malignant. Resolutely unelevated and gloriously fun, even a bit scary at points. Anyway, I really loved it though I can imagine a lot of people found it too arch.
The other sorta notable one that comes to mind is The Night House, which I know a lot of people really liked, but I thought was marred by a pretty unconvinced third act.
Of the ones on this list, I think I’ve only seen Saint Maud, which was certainly effectively creepy.
Very glad you watched Sator, a below-the-radar debut that I found super compelling. The Filmmaker article on its making is super fascinating. And Saint Maud is terrific!
I have a soft spot for Psycho Goreman, probably because I saw it in a gleefully cathartic theatrical screening, although calling it horror is a stretch.
My other highlight horrors of 2021 according to Letterboxd are either 2020 bleedovers (The Empty Man, Gretel and Hansel) or only debatably horror (Coming Home In The Dark, more thriller really) or probably a 2022 release (Mad God).
I love your Elevation Levels, even if they don't help evaluate the movies at all ;)
Oh man, this is a cool idea for a feature. I'm an obscenely big nerd about horror and I have two pretty solid 'maybe-under-the-radar' recs for ya Scott:
- The Medium by Banjong Pisanthanakun - holy hell, this legit works as found footage elevated horror and the ending is devastating. Easily the best horror movie I saw all year. (I'd put Saint Maud up there too.)
- Wrong Turn by Mike P. Nelson - I've never given a shit about this long-running garbage-ass series, maybe the worst 'has many sequels' horror franchise in the game, but this reboot does a great job of squinting at the premise, saying "oh wait, how about we do it this way" and having a lot of fun with it. If this was a straight up new horror movie w/out the Wrong Turn baggage, I think it'd have gotten a lot more attention. It's ain't elevated at ALL but it sure does work. It even made me enjoy Matthew Modine!
The only one I've seen out of these five is Candyman. The original film would be in consideration for my top ten ever, so I was pretty pleased to get a largely satisfying sequel even it needed to be longer and more fleshed out (which I almost NEVER say anymore).
Good to know Saint Maud is streaming on a platform I have, I've had that one on my list since Josh from Filmspotting started raving about it early last year.
A marvelous slow burn horror movie from last year that I wish more people saw and knew about is MY HEART CAN’T BEAT UNLESS YOU TELL IT TO. It’s about a family of adult siblings where the youngest is a vampire, and works as an allegory of addiction and codependency. Strong stuff.
Also recommended: JOHN AND THE HOLE. It’s got a fascinating framing device, and I don’t generally like framing devices. And shot in aspect ratio and on 35mm!
A bit surprised The Vigil didn't make it anywhere, though it might be considered a 2020 film due to festival releases. Either way, i thought it was extraordinarily effective and a welcome change with the use of Jewish culture and folklore. It's about trauma but it helps that the demon itself feeds off that, and it's first and foremost about the scares.