*Keep up with our ongoing end of the year coverage here*
Thanks to limited theatrical releases, streaming services, and video on demand, it can be extremely difficult to navigate the overwhelming number of movie selections at our disposal. Especially for the more independent films without much of a marketing budget. Some movies are lucky enough to amass a loud enough word-of-mouth reputation that can’t be ignored, like Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy, while many fall into quiet obscurity after a successful festival run. For those looking for great horror that exists at the edges of the genre or simply slipped under the radar, these 10 releases are 2018’s best.
Cold Hell
Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky, who helmed the underseen but fantastic horror film Anatomy, Cold Hell blends giallo with action in this underseen stunner that arrived quietly on Shudder in March. A serial killer is on the loose in Austria, targeting prostitutes and murdering them in slow, gruesome fashion. When taxi driver Özge (Violetta Schurawlow) inadvertently witnesses one of the murders from her apartment window, she becomes the killer’s next target and the police are of no help. Rich visuals with an emphasis on vivid colors and dark shadows work in conjunction with the sleazy murder mystery that makes Cold Hell a modern giallo, but Özge’s take no prisoners attitude and intense action sequences evokes retro action-brawler fare that makes this one something wholly new and exciting.
Mom and Dad
Nicolas Cage’s performance in Mandy has earned a lot of praise and attention, for good reason. His portrayal of Red isn’t as over the top as reputed, but an authentic exploration of a man caught deep in the throes of grief after witnessing the brutal demise of his soul mate. In other words, it’s much more sedate than what people have come to expect from the actor. If you want over the top Cage, in the best possible way, then you want Mom and Dad. The premise revolves around a mysterious virus that renders parents homicidal toward their own children exclusively, and as infected dad Brent, Cage really lets loose. Selma Blair holds her own against the actor as the mom that’s equally unhinged, and the two are the sole reason to watch this B-movie romp. It’s entertaining and funny, and Cage and Blair really bring the repressed rage of parental frustrations.
Wildling
Co-writer/director Fritz Böhm’s feature debut is a new spin on a coming-of-age horror story that follows Anna, a young teen who spends most of her life sheltered by her overprotective father until tragedy shoves her out into the real world. Anna then has to learn how to exist in society while uncovering dark truths about her childhood and who she really is. Brad Dourif gives another great performance as Anna’s father with a twisted secret, and Liv Tyler is serviceable as the sweet cop that just wants to help. But it’s Bel Powley as Anna that makes Wildling rise above its flaws. This coming of age creature feature isn’t perfect, but it’s engaging and genuine just the same.
The Cured
For those still clamoring for a continuation of 28 Weeks Later, The Cured may be as close as we’ll ever get. As the title indicates, it’s set in a world where the zombie population has been cured, but the once-infection zombies are still discriminated against by both their families and society- neither having forgiven them for the devastation incurred during the outbreak. It leads to heavy tension and social issues that causes the military to intervene. Ellen Page stars as Abbie, a single mother who lost her husband to the zombies but finds herself sheltering one of the cured. Though this focuses far more on the drama and heavy-handed social metaphors, there are moments of startling horror and a third act that submerses fully into genre fare. It’s a rare glimpse beyond the initial outbreak.
Let the Corpses Tan
A caveat; this one is most certainly not for everyone. As with Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s previous films Amer and The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears, the filmmaking duo are less interested in following a traditional, coherent narrative and more about a sensory onslaught experience steeped in vintage Italian filmmaking pastiche. Whereas their previous films were gialli, Let the Corpses Tan pays respects to the ‘70s Italian spaghetti western. It’s as grotesque as it is beautiful, and it does go to some horrific places. A gang of thieves hideout at a remote village in the desert-like cliffs of the Mediterranean, inhabited by an eccentric artist and her followers, after stealing a truckload of gold. It’s all going well enough until a pair of cops show up, and the entire island erupts into a hallucinatory shootout that endures all night. It’s strange, surreal, and bloody.
Tumbbad
A visually rich allegory for greed, Tumbbad hails from India and really delivers on the horror. A dark, gothic fairy tale, Tumbbad spans generations as it follows Vinayek Rao from childhood well into adulthood and the curse that surrounds his family. Opening with heavy exposition that explains the mythology at the center of the Vinayek family curse, it’s a story of the corruptive power greed can have and just how deep it takes root. Although it plays out much more dark fairy tale, the horror elements are downright terrifying. Early scenes were young Rao discovers his cursed grandma, locked away and demonic, is pure terror.
Possum
This psychological horror film doesn’t offer much in the way of clear-cut answers, but it does provide creeping dread and nightmarish imagery. Sean Harris stars as Philip, a disgraced puppeteer that returns to his childhood home and is forced to confront his childhood traumas. Though Possum prefers ambiguity, it’s crystal clear why Philip’s last paying gig caused him to run home in shame; his puppet, Possum, would terrify anyone let alone an arachnophobic. With an arachnid body and monochromatic human head, Possum elicits some extremely creepy moments. Harris also nails his performance as the socially isolated man descending into madness. This character study will likely be too slow for some, but boy is it creepy.
Thoroughbreds
Anya-Taylor Joy stars as Lily, an upper-class teen that connects with Olivia Cooke’s Amanda in the hope of recruiting her to assist in the murder of her stepfather. A darkly funny story in the vein of Heathers or American Psycho, Lily and Amanda’s burgeoning friendship is fully of surprises, laughs, and even horror. Both have perfected masks that hide their inner darkness, but which one is worse? The emotionally self-destructive girl who hates her mean stepfather, or the disconnected girl with a host of extreme personality disorders that renders her unable to feel emotion? This is for those that like their horror much closer to reality and with biting wit. Anton Yelchin also stars in a supporting role as the town’s resident drug-dealer.
The Clovehitch Killer
Set in a small town nestled in the Bible Belt, teen Tyler begins to suspect his own father might be the infamous Clovehitch Killer responsible for murdering 10 women a decade ago before disappearing. The crimes were so vicious that memory of the Clovehitch Killer never faded from the town’s memory, and Tyler stumbles onto proof that the killer has started anew. Dylon McDermott plays Tyler’s father, a squeaky-clean church-goer and doting family man. But there’s an underpinning of danger there, and the more Tyler begins to dig into the Clovehitch Killer, the creepier dad gets. It’s because of McDermott’s performance that this coming of age story meets terrifying serial killer cat and mouse game is as captivating as it is horrific.
Good Manners
Written and directed by Marco Dutra and Juliana Rojas, Good Manners is a horror meets fable story about lonely nurse Clara and the unexpected bond she forms with her wealthy employer Ana. Ana hires Clara to be the nanny for her unborn child, and despite coming from very different backgrounds, the pair form a strong bond that’s forever altered on one fateful night of terror. Playing out in two distinct narrative halves connected by that fateful night, the less you know about Good Manners going in the better. This dark fairy tale is a beautiful and often bloody entry in a beloved sub-genre, and offers many heartfelt and heart wrenching surprises.
