By Kyle Laugh
***Editors Note - We are going to be releasing all the writers top picks today. So keep your eyes peeled for the best horror 2018 has to offer from each of our writers
Another year has come and gone but 2018 left us with a fascinating amount of great horror films that have brought old fans back as well as took in new fans that will follow the genre for years to come if not the rest of their lives.
There have been films that have topped other lists which I’ve unfortunately not yet had the opportunity to see such as Hereditary for example or films which I’ve personally felt did amazing things for the genre but didn’t earn a top spot in my books like Halloween.
No matter what your personal top picks for the year are, I’m sure we can all agree that 2018 has shown another resurgence of the genre, something we hope to see continue to grow this year as well.
With that said, here are my top 8 picks for 2018 in no particular order.
A Quiet Place:
In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
Some have called it original while others have said it ripped off films like Hush, to me, A Quiet Place brought audiences back to the golden age of horror the likes of a Phantom of the Opera or The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This being said, the film wasn’t an instant classic, nor am I saying that it’s on an even playing field as these classics but the fact that it was able to bring a film back to the age of silent films was incredible.
This forced viewers to put down their phones and actually pay attention to what was happening on their screens in order to comprehend the film fully.
This was a somewhat unique approach which paid off in the end.
Mom and Dad:
A teenage girl and her little brother must survive a wild 24 hours during which a mass hysteria of unknown origins causes parents to turn violently on their own kids.
Crazy Nicholas Cage is all you really need to know in order to check Mom and Dad out! There is no background for the incidents that are occurring in the world nor does it make a whole lot of sense but the film is likely one of the most amusing things I’ve watched all last year.
The fact that all parents want to kill their children, no matter the age, is priceless. Grandparents join the fun and start attacking Cage’s character who is in turn, going after his own children.
There isn’t any deep meaning to be had here, you just need to watch and see for yourself in order to enjoy it.
Hellraiser: Judgement:
Detectives Sean and David Carter are on the case to find a gruesome serial killer terrorizing the city. Joining forces with Detective Christine Egerton, they dig deeper into a spiraling maze of horror that may not be of this world.
Before you start spewing crap at me about this film you have to do one of two things, either watch the film prior to judging it and not just have an opinion based off of the series of faltered sequels. If you’ve already done that, then try to listen to my personal reason for loving this new sequel.
I’ve not been able to enjoy any Hellraiser film since part three, when I initially watched this, I was expecting to rip it to shreds but came out impressed.
Some of the scenes affected me deeply, pushing me to feel sick to my stomach for starters while the new set up for how the cenobites gather their victims was simplistic yet effective.
I also have to applaud Paul T. Taylor in his portrayal of Pinhead. He did an excellent job and although he’ll never replace the likes of Doug Bradley, he was able to do the character justice.
The House That Jack Built:
The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his inner madman.
This is one I’ve been waiting a long time to see and although I didn’t have the ability to see the uncut version, I still thoroughly enjoyed everything Lars Von Trier’s film had to offer. To say that this is an art house film is a bit of an understatement. As the film is set up like an anthology, the storytelling ranges throughout every segment giving you the feeling that you’re watching not only a different film, but an entirely new lead role to boot.
Matt Dillon is fantastic in this film and puts on a true display of his range of acting abilities, making me want to see more of him, no matter what the film is, in the upcoming year.
The Clovehitch Killer:
A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home. Dylan McDermott stars in this chilling portrait of all-American evil.
This was one of those surprise films that you hear nothing about, have nothing better to do, watch it anyways with it resulting in you being happy to have done so.
The story is pieced together in such a way that it doesn’t hold off on giving you everything you need to make a conclusion. You go in knowing that the film is focused on a killer, you get a quick backstory and immediately we’re thrown into the discovery of who this ominous killer is.
Although the ending has some people torn, I personally enjoyed how it was planned out to do the least damage possible to those surrounding the lead protagonist as well as his family.
Revenge:
Never take your mistress on an annual guys' getaway, especially one devoted to hunting - a violent lesson for three wealthy married men.
I feel like Revenge was a film that didn’t get nearly enough love this year and should be viewed by all horror fans.
I’m not much on storylines consisting of rape as the cause for getting back at someone as it just seems demeaning to women but getting revenge on those who attempted to murder them is alright by me.
Some people have made complaints about the film overdosing on the amount of blood that could actually vacate a human body from not only one of the characters but all of them. This complaint, although legitimate, is the only negative I’ve seen coming from viewers as they loved practically every other aspect of the film.
The thing that I enjoyed most of all was actually the lead protagonist’s change from wannabe Hollywood starlet to badass survivalist, displaying a vast amount of knowledge in the art of self preservation which gives us, the viewers, an idea of what her life may have been like before her need to move to California.
Pyewacket:
A frustrated, angst-ridden teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to evoke a witch to kill her mother.
Although I’m not a fan of Laurie Holden who played Andrea in The Walking Dead due to every role I had seen her in would display her frantically ugly crying for any which reason, I was fascinated by her performance in Pyewacket. She was able to put true feeling into the role and expressed her feelings throughout in multiple ways helping me thoroughly dive into the story which in itself was simple but effective.
I was hooked through the end of the film and was left satisfied with what I had viewed. If there was any form of gripe however, it would be the CG which was used but even that can be overlooked by a variety of different factors including the aforementioned acting, story and the amazing scenery used throughout the course of the film.
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich:
All hell breaks loose when a strange force animates the puppets up for auction at a convention, setting them on a bloody killing spree that's motivated by an evil as old as time.
This is one film that is highly unlikely to be on most people’s year end top lists just for the simple fact that it’s a Puppet Master film, a series which has seen many more downs than ups throughout the years since the original was released back in 1989. This will typically prompt horror fans to avoid newer films coming from a series of this nature. Unfortunately for them, they missed out on a fantastic film which takes the featured antagonists and makes them scary and evil once again, even more so than ever in some aspects.
The story was well thought out, giving us a good narrative with an opening to future sequels also being provided. Memorable characters, comedic parts and over the top kills that will leave any gore hound satisfied.
Some people may also have other film preferences for their year end lists, but this one holds a special place in my heart thanks to the viewing experience I had with multiple other horror fans doing a form of a “group watch” where we would all converse throughout the viewing of the film via comments on a Facebook group page.
That’s all ladies and gentlemen! Let me know what you think or what your picks would have been in place!
Thanks for everything this year. All the support, shares and likes have been amazing and I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.
This week on Beyond The Void Horror Podcast The famous rapper NECRO joins the podcast to talk about the biz, horror & his new album. Plus Patrick returns again to talk about The Burning Moon one of the notorious gore exploitation films ever made. It’s a big week and you are invited! You can listen here or you can Listen/Subscribe on iTunes here!