Kweeny's Top Movies of the Year Post

The year is almost out, so that means everyone is doing their lists. I know the horror community is split on this year, but for me, I think we did pretty well considering. Some years we don't even have 5 movies to bitch about, let alone 10 or more. There has been a lot of horror out, for good or bad. At least it gives us all something to talk about.

But I wanna focus on the positive here. So here is my list of films that really wowed me this year. Some are movies that came out the year before, but because of when they were available or my access to them, I have put them on this year's list. Ordered from my favorite film of the year to my least.

KWEENY'S TOP 10 MOVIES OF THE YEAR

1. AMERICAN MARY

This movie pretty much sealed my love of the Soska sisters as directors. It's beautifully shot, the acting is superb by all the characters, and it has a premise I can get behind. While it is a body mod horror film, it is respectful to the community of body modification. Mary's evolution throughout the film is a terrible descent into cold, sociopathic revenge. And through all this, we get a strong female lead who is interesting to watch on screen, as well as deadly sexy.

2. BYZANTIUM

For me, this year was great for vampire films. Two really awesome films came out, this one being the first. I loved it. It's got some really gory moments. but that isn't the focus of the movie. Byzantium is about the love of a mother and her vampire daughter, about a male-run society of vampires who fear women vampires, and about the survival of these two outcasts. And how the vampires are made is beautiful and horrific.

2. KISS OF THE DAMNED

Another awesome vampire flick. This one is stylish and old school feeling, with a lot of sexiness. I mean a lot. This film captures the feel of the old 70's vampire flicks, and doesn't spare you the bloody mess. You won't get sparkle vampires here. But you will get a love story of a sort, and learn how hard it is to deal with family of all kinds.

3. MANIAC

I am not usually a fan of remakes, but there were a few really good ones this year, and Maniac took the lead. I love how they approached this film, and to me, they didn't kill the essence of the story by changing the POV of the film. I really liked that we saw things through the killers eyes, and only briefly saw him in mirrors or other reflective surfaces. And the kills are just as brutal as the original, not a scalp is spared.

4. YOU'RE NEXT

This one really surprised me. I wasn't expecting much from it, and only after I read a few reviews did I go out of my way to see it. I'm glad I did. It was fun as hell! What starts off as a standard home invasion film quickly switches things up, and brings a lot of laughs along with it. I think if you haven't seen this one, you really should give it a go because it was a really good film. Not as deep as some of the movies here, but sometimes you need to see something for the thrills. There are some really creative kills too!

5. WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

This movie on the other hand, was pretty deep. I found it a really powerful film, and while it's a remake, I preferred this version over the original. Perhaps it was the way they told the story this time, but the important elements are all there. The ritual and the cannibalism are shown in stages until they hit you hard at the end. 

6. ANTIVIRAL

This movie is rather cerebral as well, and has a unique style. The story brings you into a bleak future where we idolize celebrities so much we are willing to BUY their illnesses. With a weird premise like that, it would be easy to screw this up, but I am pleased to say this movie doesn't drop the ball. It's weird, it's visceral, it's gross, and it makes really interesting commentary on society. 

7.THE CONJURING 

With The Conjuring, they take the approach of old school haunted house/possession films. Even though a lot of what happens is familiar from other films of the genre, this one takes a fresh approach to them, and gives us some pretty good jump scares. I enjoyed a lot of the props too, like the creepy doll story at the beginning. 

8. THE LORDS OF SALEM

I'm a fan of Rob Zombie's work when he does Rob Zombie films, and not remakes. Even if they are not the best films I've ever seen, they usually are interesting to watch and don't bore me. The Lords of Salem was an interesting take on Witches, and was shot with interesting uses of color and imagery. Heidi's decent into madness is pretty intense.

9. MAMA

I was a little disappointed with the effects of this one, but the story of feral children being protected by a creature named MAMA...yeah, I had to watch it. Movies with mother issues always get me. This one is a good film though, if you can ignore the overuse of CGI on the creature. I really loved the acting done by the two girls and they are really creepy when we first encounter then in the cabin.

10. EVIL DEAD

Yes, Evil Dead is on here. And yes, it is a remake. But as I said, there have been some really good remakes lately, and this one was a pretty decent one. The film had a lot going for it, and there are some fun, gory scenes. I didn't find the main character all that empowering though, considering she's a bitchy junkie to start with, and get's raped brutally by tentacles. Seriously, did we need the rape scene to come back and in more gruesome detail? Because unlike American Mary, which has a rape scene, this one isn't making a point about anything except that they can make it more crazy with effects. But it does have some awesome moments, so do check it out.

And that's my list! Horror did pretty good in my opinion. Some years I can't even think of 5 let alone 10 movies I liked. What about you gang, what's your favorite films of the year?