Response to TMMM: Ten Best Horror Films of the Past Ten Years

This will be my last post for the next week and a half, as I have lots to do before the big move. No more sneaking online to do blog posts. Sorry gang. Though I am totally honored you guys have been dropping in to see what silly shit I'll post next. And you don't seem to mind I swear so bad I make sailors blush...or wanna date me. That look I get from them might mean both reactions. Who knows.


Anyhow, this post is a response to Marvin the Macabre. He set a challenge over in his blog, and since I couldn't think of anything else to leave as an offering before I vanish, I thought this would do. So in response to the challenge, here is Kweeny's...

Ten Best Horror Films of the Past Ten Years!

Pretend you can hear my voice booming in your head as you read that last line.

And no, I wont be following the movie database rules for what is considered horror. I will be following my own rules. I have never been one to fit into a conventional box. And if you read my post on Dark Fiction and Horror, then you will know what I think Horror is. Does it convey a sense of dread, disgust, terror, or fear? Does it explore the depths of the dank pits of the human soul? These things matter to me when I watch a movie, not if it grosses me out or has enough blood. Hell, it can be funny even as long as it has elements of horror. Also, I don't mind if the line blurs. Sometimes the best films out there blur the lines between horror and other genres.

Ok, done rambling, on with the show.

10. Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) - It's a gothic-horror side show with a splattering of cyberpunk. The world is gruesome, where organ failure is prominent and organ transplants are offered by one company: Genco. You don't get them for free, and if you can't pay your bills on time they will be repossessed. And it's not a pretty sight. What makes this movie amazing is the music. And it's an opera folks. You can guess how it will end for most characters.

9. Saw (2004) - The one that started it all. Yes there are 6 sequels, some better than others, but the first one is what got me hooked. The concept of the traps, and the mad man behind them was a fresh and interesting take on serial killing. Jigsaw will always hold a special place in the black parts of my heart, because I could actually sympathize with him. His twisted moral compass was something I could understand. And his traps were ingenious.

8.  28 Days Later (2002) - I remember how tense I was watching this film. Sure, it started a trend with fast zombies, but I think what really moved me about the film was the survivors. They were people I could relate to. I find it hard sometimes to root for the survivors in zombie movies, but like The Walking Dead series (which I was reading in comic form long before the awesome show was born) I struggled with the survivors as they tried to make it in a world gone insane.

7. The Mist (2007) - I have to say, this made me love Stephen King movies again. It had been a long time for me when it came to watching a Stephen King movie or mini series. Next to The Shining and Carrie, The Mist is one of my favourite movie adaptations. The ending still rips me apart.

6. Let The Right One In (2008) - The best vampire movie in the last ten years. Hands down. And though I liked Let Me In, it wasn't as potent as the original movie. I just loved the actors chosen for this version. And trust me, read the book. It's even more disturbing.

5. Dead Girl (2008) - Fucked up movie. Seriously. The premise makes it seem so tame: Stupid boys find a dead girl. Hi-jinks ensue. But trust me, if I told you more about said hi-jinks, you might vomit in your mouth.

4. The Midnight Meat Train (2008) - And here we have Clive Barker, my hero of horror literature, done well.  One of the short stories from The Books of Blood (which I adore) is taken and adapted for the screen. And it stars Vinnie Jones. He's so fucking bad ass in this and never says a word. He doesn't have to really. he's Vinnie-motherfucking-Jones!

3. Pan's Labyrinth  (2006) - Yes, I hear some of you exclaiming: That's not horror Kweeny! Oh really? The movie is about war, abuse, and a girl so afraid of her real life she needs fantasy to escape it. And there are BRUTAL scenes in the film. We watch a leg get sawed off, a mans face cut wide open, and the monsters...Just check out the Pale man and you'll see. I almost wet myself when he started moving.

2. The Descent (2005) - At first this movie plays on fears such as claustrophobia, but it only escalates from there. The films lead characters are all females, a welcome change to some horror films, and not one of them is some annoying stereotype. They are all in their own ways kick ass babes with depth. I mean, the prospect of being buried alive is scary enough, but then the monsters show up.

1. Martyrs (2008) - This was by far my favourite film of the last ten years. It moved me so deep I couldn't talk for hours after, and had a break down. I shit you not. It was so intense and profound for me I just needed a therapeutic cry before I could even articulate my feelings about it to my husband. It's a powerful film. It takes you hard and fast into the dark pits of torture, and just when you think you can label it "just another torture porn movie" you realize no... it's so much more. Now it makes you question suffering, and why it is needed. It leaves you with philosophical debates inside your head. There are several messages in this piece, and you may not like the questions it leaves you with.


And that's my list. What do you think? If you haven't seen any of these movies, I highly recommend them.