The Movie Sleuth reveals our five favorite horror movies of 2015 in no specific order.
Ryan Reynolds stars in The Voices as one of the most socially awkward yet brutally disgusting characters of 2015. Serving up a deliciously cold platter of dark comedy blended with Reynolds' unhinged wit, The Voices is a maniacal excursion into the mind of a character that feels like a throwback to Norman Bates mixed with a sharp narrative about mental illness and the ambiguity of mismatched love. This is easily the best performance of Reynolds career as he abandons his typical straight laced comedy leanings for role that takes a hard right turn into the absurd while it continues down a verifiable path of bloodshed and nearly genius level film making. If you missed this one, you should give it a watch.
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Action. Check. Zombies. Check. Indie greatness. Check. Mixing horror with dark comedy and a post apocalyptic feel much like a humorous but classic Mad Max on drugs, Wyrmwood turned out to be one of the defining horror flicks of 2015. With a tiny budget, a whole hell of a lot of heart, years of work, and unbelievably great looking production values, Wyrmwood takes the genre in a unique direction that spoofs and redefines all at once. With hard hitting visual elements, a rock solid lead character, spectacular scenes of violence and futuristic carnage, this was one of my favorite films of the year and definitely one of the best horror entries. With one of the best opening sequences of the entire year, Wyrmwood was a day one blu-ray purchase as I will continue suggesting this movie to fellow horror fiends like myself. See this movie.
Deathgasm - Michelle Kisner
What do you get when you mix death metal, comedy, gratuitous
gore and a demon invasion? You have a Deathgasm!
Hailing from New Zealand, the land of blood-spattered horror flicks, Deathgasm is as if Peter Jackson’s film Dead Alive and grindcore band GWAR had a
disgusting baby. A fledgling death metal band accidentally summons demons into
their small suburban town and all hell breaks loose…literally. What is great about this film is that they
used tons of practical effects for all the gore work so everything is
especially repulsive and a joy to watch. Not to mention all the goopy fun is
backed by a kick ass metal soundtrack (which is really the only kind of music
fit for all this viscera). The dialog is hilarious and this film is
unquestionably presented tongue-firmly-in-cheek, but when everything goes down
it does not pull any punches. Fans of ‘80s splatterfest horror films will be in
heaven watching Deathgasm.
It Follows - Michelle Kisner
It Follows was one
of the sleeper horror films of 2015 but also one of the best. In an endless sea
of torture porn and found footage ghost movies, this film managed to be
incredibly creepy and completely unnerving. The tale concerns a young woman
(Maika Monroe) who is followed around relentlessly by an otherworldly presence.
No matter how long or how far she runs, the malevolent force will always be
nipping at her heels. Director David Robert Mitchell imbues the atmosphere with
a retro feel and some good old-fashioned dread. The choice to use Detroit as
the setting is a great one, because the contrast between the gentrified suburbs
and the more urban sprawl is an interesting one. The ethereal and eerie
electronic music by Disasterpiece is one of the best horror films scores I have
heard in a long time. It evokes shades of John Carpenter’s work aurally, and
the unrelenting directness of the film also seems to be an homage to
Carpenter’s past work (especially Halloween). If quiet and subversive films are
your bag, then It Follows fits the
bill perfectly.
Bone Tomahawk - CG
Designed as a hybrid western/horror, Bone Tomahawk is one the best and most brutal features of 2015. Stealing the cannibalistic limelight from the god awful Green Inferno, the film features a fantastic cast and excellent performances as it turns classic old west stereotypes into a slow paced, flesh eating extravaganza of the highest order. With realistic looking visuals, a dynamically paced story structure, a wonderful cast, and the most chillingly vile death sequence of the year, Bone Tomahawk is the definition of realistic horror. Some may argue its top spot on this list as it doesn't fall into typical horror trappings. For me, that's all the more reason that it deserves every bit of attention that it gets. Kurt Russell and his mismatched crew of cowboys easily makes this one of the best films of 2015 and the most enjoyable horror of the year.