Lately, it was hard to find time and inspiration for blogging. Especially during the pandemic, because it feels like everyone just moved to YouTube (and this is something I could never do, unfortunately). But Autumn brings its own vibes, and except for feeling down and slight melancholy, it also gave me lot's of good old feelings and desire to write, share some movie tips, and be a little bit more present here.
Today I present to you my Haloween Movie List, which includes only the very best movies I watch, basically in the last two years.
So, fasten your seatbelt, and let's get those shivers.
1. Midsommar (2019)
"Midsommar" is by far one of my very favorite horror movies of all time. Created by a mad genius Ari Aster( the creator of sick-sick-sick, extraordinary and shocking "Hereditary"), "Midsommar" was described as a "horror under a bright daylight" and was definitely one of the best movies of 2019. This film is about a loss, empathy, family, breakup, cult, and so much more. One can watch it many times and spot some new details over and over again. It's very bright (literally, there's a lot of white in "Midsommar"), wonderfully made, the costumes and the set up deserve an own massive article about it and the actors, especially queen Florence Pugh, are amazing.
It's disturbing, sometimes painful, and shocking, but it truly magical and very involving. You might cry and laugh during the movie, be mentally damaged by it, but you won't stay indifferent. "Midsommar" - one love. I can talk for hours about it, so I better move and write about the next one.
📽️ IMDB: 7,1
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
2. The Lighthouse (2019)
In 2019 Robbert Eggers (the director of "The VVitch" the movie that introduced beautiful Anya Taylor-Joy to a broad auditory and traumatized me forever with its horrifying story) presented us with something mind-blowing: "The Lighthouse". This film is a black and white twisted mix between horror and comedy. It is about two lighthouse keepers (Dafoe and Pattinson), that are slowly but steadily losing their minds. This movie is a massive breakpoint in Robert Pattinson's carrier, when he finally proved, that he's not that sugary vampire from the most boring saga ever, but a fantastic, talented actor, that can be breathtaking in his performance. And, Willem Dafoe on the other side, gave probably the best performance in his whole carrier.
This film is a bomb! It's disturbing, funny, disgusting, and very well crafted.
I'm really looking forward, what Eggers has to show us in the future (about Pattinson I'll talk in some future post because this guy is killing it).
📽️ IMDB: 7,5
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
3. Sinister (2012)
I watched "Sinister" alone, almost exactly one year ago. I don't know how I could miss this gem earlier, probably, because my true love and interest in horror movies were slightly late developed.
"Sinister" is definitely one of the scariest and creepiest movies that were ever made. It is haunting, horrifying, and incredibly disturbing, but yet very interesting to watch. Highly recommend giving it a try if you're a fan of this genre.
📽️ IMDB: 6,8
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
4. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
And this movie I've been avoiding for ages. Maybe because I'm a bit skeptical when it's about a movie named after someone.
This film is not a classical exorcism movie. It's a great mix between a horror (everything that was happening to Emily Rose) and a thriller/detective (court scenes and investigation), and the performance of Jennifer Carpenter is for sure one of the most powerful in her whole carrier. This film is something you'll not forget, and it will also stand out among other movies of the same type.
📽️ IMDB: 6,7
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 44%
5. Ready or Not (2019)
"Ready or Not" is a hilariously bloody film. It is a gory slasher and a black comedy mash-up. It's fantastic! I adore how this movie is masterly balancing between various genres, keeps the viewers entertained while being pretty violent and horrifying. "ready or Not" is a lot of fun, great storytelling, and characters, hilarious quotes, and scenes. It deserves a cult status, and sooner or later, this movie will get it.
📽️ IMDB: 6,8
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
6. Lake Mungo (2008)
As a big mocumentary and found-footage fan, I have no idea how could I miss this masterpiece.
"Lake Mungo" introduced a new level of pseudo-documentary movies. Filmed in a spectacular, ghosty way, it dragged me deep into the story, that at some point I forgot that it's fiction after all. "Lake Mungo" is creepy, dark, and not "just another ghost story". It is totally underappreciated and underrated. It's a super rare gem.
Stay for the credits, they will blow you away.
📽️ IMDB: 6,3
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
7. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
In the beginning, I thought that the "Autopsy of Jane Doe" is one of those movies about people that are "stuck" in their bodies that appear to be dead. Well, it's not.
This movie tells a very unique, chilling, and thrilling scary story in a coroner's chamber and will be stuck in your head for a while. It's a beautifully terrifying piece.
A cool fact about this film is that Jane Doe is played by a real actress, it's not a dummy or so. That brings a watching experience to a slightly different level.
📽️ IMDB: 6,8
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
8. Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
"Ouija: Origin of Evil" is a well-composed story, with some cool twists and characters that you want to care about. And yes, THAT little girl gives some good chills, I must say.
For those, who watched Netflix's hit "The Haunting of Hill House"(this one is also a must-watch, so catch-up if you still haven't seen it), it will be a nice surprise to see Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson (what a spectacular performance!) and Henry Thomas together on a screen.
The original "Ouija" movie was quite a disappointment, so when I found the sequel, I had no high hopes about it. But, this is a rare case when a sequel is not only better than the original but can easily stand alone and shine bright.
📽️ IMDB: 6,1
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
10. Us (2019)
"Us" didn't repeat the success of "Get Out". Nevertheless, Jordan Peele had managed to create a disturbing, stylish, loud movie, with a lot of meta meanings. It's one of a kind, smart, and fun to watch, with some very chilling moments. Extraordinary performances, set up, and specific humor. Peele proved that he's not a one-time director, and I'm curious to see more of his future work.
📽️ IMDB: 6,9
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
6. The Hole in the Ground (2019)
Just like "The Babadook", "The Hole in The Ground" is about the traumatic experience of being a parent. It's chilling, refreshing, and original in its presentation. It evokes many important questions, it's intelligent, and stands out. I don't get the low IMDB rating and highly recommend giving it a try.
📽️ IMDB: 5,7
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
11. Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
"Velvet Buzzsaw" is a movie that you'll love (like me) or dislike. Someone will say that it's pretentious and ridiculous, and I say that's a great satire on the modern art world and its main residents - art snobs. It's funny, chaotic, intriguing, and refreshing. And god, we are honored to see Jake Gyllenhaal and Toni Collette on the same screen, isn't that bliss?
📽️ IMDB: 5,7
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
12. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
It's a nice movie for those who loved to watch "Tales From the Crypt", "Who's Afraid of the Dark" as kids, and still has a nostalgic feeling after those stories. It's a solid film, not very scary, but definitely with some creepy and cool creatures and unexpected plot turns. It's made by a master Guillermo del Toro, and that gut has some proper taste and style.
I would recommend it if you want to watch something on Haloween's night, but you don't want to scare yourself too much.
📽️ IMDB: 6,2
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
13. Doctor Sleep (2019)
As a massive "The Shining" fan, I was a bit afraid that "Doctor Sleep" is going to be a disappointing sequel of the main story. But it was quite the opposite. "Doctor Sleep" didn't try to copy "The Shining" it tried to continue telling Dany's story and did it successfully. This film is very atmospheric, it's scary as it should be, it's well written and brilliantly played. It's dramatic when it has to be dramatic, and it's horrifying where it has to be so. It's all about childhood traumas and going your own way. Well done, I applause.
📽️ IMDB: 7,3
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
14. The Golden Glove (Der Goldene Handschuh, 2019)
There's something about particular stories and movies that terrifies me. For instance, when I watched "Eden Lake", and that film killed me, crushed my bones, and just made flour out of them. That film was so horrifying, I couldn't forget about it. But the story of "The Golden Glove", on the other hand, kind of broke that high score. And here's why.
Ok, let's be honest here: this movie is incredibly hard to watch sometimes. It's very graphic, gory, disgusting, and traumatizing. A "cherry on a pie" is that this movie is based on a real story. It's shocking, aggressive, and violent. Sometimes it's so realistic, I think I could catch the smell of this film. The fantastic performance of Jonas Dassler makes this movie unforgettable.
"The Golden Glove" is very interesting and involving. I wanted to know how it ends. I wanted to see how this story of a man struggling with alcoholism, madness, delusions end. Watch it if you dare.
📽️ IMDB: 6,7
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
15. The eyes of my mother (2016)
This dreadful story is one of the biggest impressions of the last year. It's made in black and white (that gave this movie a dramatic touch), it's slow and quiet (that gives chills), and it is horrifying. It's arthouse in its best way.
📽️ IMDB: 6,2
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
16. The Platform (El Hoyo, 2019)
"The Platform" is one of those movies that you want to watch without snaking anything. It's a philosophical dystopian nightmare that is slightly reminded of the "Cube", and it's definitely one of the top movies that Netflix can offer you. It is not necessarily horror, but a good, twisted psychological thriller, with some intriguing turns.
📽️ IMDB: 7
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
17. The Lodge (2019)
"The Lodge" is the weakest movie on my list, but it still has something. Whether it's a beautiful, disturbing picture, nightmarish dark atmosphere, strong and impressive work of Riley Keough or all together, but this movie is very nice. Despite its illogical turns and irrational plot twists. It's a decent horror, with a very vivid style and charm.
📽️ IMDB: 6
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
18. Host (2020)
As it was predicted, please welcome one of the first movies about the COVID-19 pandemic. "Host" is not about the virus, but how we all holding up during all the quarantines and lockdowns. It's about a bunch of friends that decided to have a spiritual online séance, but everything went wrong. "Host" is packed with some nice jump scares. The film is ambitious and fresh. It represents the modern situation very well and stands out. Highly recommend giving "Host" a try.
📽️ IMDB: 6,6
🍅 Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
I hope you enjoyed my list and found something to watch tonight. If you have some cool recommendations to share, I would really appreciate it if you could share them in the comments.
And for those, who didn't find anything, here are some links to my lists or single horror movies I've mentioned in the last couple of years:
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