The Best Horror Movies of 2019

Another year, another top list. 2019 wasn't what most would call the best in terms of movies, with some of the most anticipated ranging from mediocre to disappointing. However, every year has their gems and while I wasn't able to see them all, I'll do my best and pick the top horror films of the past year that I consider great. I must please advise this again that I have not seen every horror film this year, so if ones don't show up here it doesn't mean they weren't worthy of the list. With all that out of the way, please enjoy my totally not generic best of 2019 horror movies list.



Honorable Mention(s): 

The Addams Family

Not what most would call traditional horror, so putting it on this list was a bit tough for me. Still, it's a great family film that I would highly recommend.

Brightburn

While 'Brightburn' was a movie I did enjoy more than I expected to, it wasn't up to the higher standards of the list. I recommend a rental except for those who are squeamish as the film has a surprisingly high amount of gore and horror elements that may turn you off.






And now onto our top list starting with number 8...

Midsommar

The most divisive entry on this list, 'Midsommar' is a hard sell for most moviegoers and I won't deny that. For those who give it a chance however, I feel that even if you don't enjoy it as much as I did you'll still have experienced something different and unique which is sadly becoming an uncommon thing in film these days. The mixed feelings are why I feel it fits here at the bottom, but don't get me wrong I thoroughly enjoyed 'Midsommar' for its bizarre and twisty premise, creepy atmosphere, and gorgeous cinematography. Give it a chance at the very least.

The Dead Don't Die

Okay I promise this will be my last arthouse horror film on the list. 'The Dead Don't Die' is definitely an easier watch than 'Midsommar' but it's wacky & irreverent nature will throw most for a loop. In some ways, the film is a bit misleading which in turn leads to many disappointed viewers but after watching the film a second time, I feel like I appreciate it more now. A lot of the movie makes no sense or seems to have no connection to the story at hand but even then I'm still glued to the screen, wondering just what's coming next. This is also hands down my favorite performance by Adam Driver so far and shows that this guy needs to do more comedy. He & Bill Murray play off each other so well that I wish I could see these characters in another story someday.

Us

While looking back at 'Us' now, it was more than a bit over hyped when it first came out. Still, it is a solid horror film with great visuals and a lot of memorable moments that'll stick with you. I just wouldn't be going in with quite the expectations that I had or you'll probably end up disappointed or like my friend just flat out hating it.

Child's Play (Remake)

This movie had everything going against it from the beginning. No Don Mancini, no Brad Dourif, and made outside the current Universal series should have rendered the 2019 'Child's Play' remake dead on arrival. How wrong I was, because this was a fantastic take on the original story that changes enough elements to stand on its own, while still honoring what came before. Sure, it's not perfect but even as a rabid fan of Chucky I'm not going to lie and say the series as a whole is, but what a nice surprise to have this film as a companion piece. Recommended highly for fans.

Crawl

Another surprise hit? Yes indeed. 'Crawl' was barely on my radar when I first saw the trailer and going in, I thought I'd just have some good dumb fun with a killer alligator flick. And yes I did get that, but what I didn't expect was to be so well done. It's rare when a B-Movie plot can have an A quality production to it and while not on par with something like 'Jaws', 'Crawl' managed to have a well written and tense nature thriller with characters you genuinely care for and some great suspense and gore thrown in. Alexandre Aja has been out of commission for a while now, but with 'Crawl' let's hope he gets back into the game soon.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

With Guillermo Del Toro producing, you can't really lose. Based upon the children's book series, this film takes the monsters from said books and brings them to life with amazing accuracy. The makeup and special effects are the film's highlight and probably the best horror movie effects this year. The story is a little simple compared to others on this list, but the film brought these stories to life so well and for a PG-13 film aimed at teens, it doesn't hold back on some gruesome stuff. Highly recommended.

Doctor Sleep

Mike Flanagan always delivers, and 'Doctor Sleep' is no different. He had the impossible task of making both fans of Stephen King & the author himself happy with this adaptation and while the end results change a lot of the source novel's material, this is still another hit from the director and one that I feel will make any King fan smile. The casting is very good, with my new favorite King villain Rose the Hat played by Rebecca Ferguson being the stand out along with some great look-a-like actors stepping into previous roles from 'The Shining'. I recommend waiting a bit more for this one so you can check out the upcoming director's cut to get the full experience.

Ready or Not

Comedy or satire in horror is not uncommon, but rarely done well which is what makes 'Ready or Not' stand out. The film's dark humor mixed with gruesome imagery harkens back to horror of the 1980's with some modern politics and themes that don't bash you over the head while watching. Samara Weaving is becoming one of the better modern scream queens of horror and is the highlight. Watching her outsmart and beat the shit out of all these people is fun, gruesome, and hilarious. The film's ending is also so bat shit insane that you'll do a double take and caps off a wickedly fun film.




And that's my favorites of 2019 folks. Let's hope 2020 is as good or better, though if you read my recent review of 'The Grudge' we might be sadly waiting for a while. Enjoy the new year folks and thanks for reading.

The Grudge (2020)

'The Grudge 2020' has done the impossible and delivers a movie that's somehow worse than part 2 & 3 and even some in the Japanese series such as 'Black Ghost'. This movie has almost nothing to do with Takashi Shimizu's films outside of copy & pasting certain tropes associated with the series and is one of the most boring horror films I have ever seen. Within the first five minutes, the movie immediately destroys any real connection to the backstory of the previous entries and leaves us with no Japanese setting, no Kayako or Toshio, and a whole lot of the same old shit we've already seen. It's obvious that producer Sam Raimi & director Nicholas Pensce seem to be struggling with making this yet another remake or a continuation of the 2004 film. It attempts to connect that previous story with this new entry, but its so paper thin you'll forget it before the half hour mark.

Every single scare is predicted only minutes before it happens and not just because the film's scares are so incredibly lazy and obvious, but the movie itself projects them. The music will cut off the exact moment a horror scene is about to begin and then BOO! jump scare! Well, if you're me you were dozing off but just pretend that it scared you. The many iconic images of the 'Ju-On' series are also present with this new film, but make little to no sense in context. Rather than Kayako & Toshio, this one shows the previous victims of the curse as ghostly entities but still make the iconic croaking noise just because it was in 'Ju-On'. Only one ghost has the iconic look to her, but she's an American girl of maybe 9 years old. As if people didn't already confuse this series with 'The Ring' enough you have to replace the antagonist and make her a little girl like in 'Ring'.

The film is so lazy in fact that it attempts to shock with what they seem to believe is hardcore gore & violent acts. Even the marketing for this seems to think the franchise was all about blood & guts and making sure you know it's an 'R' rated film. This is the tamest 'R' rated horror I've ever seen, with the majority of the violence being the aftermath or looking more like mud or black tar. This is due to my next big gripe: the cinematography which uses that same de-saturated look that every damn horror movie has to do these days. The color is just sucked out of 'The Grudge' and is just unpleasant to look at but not in a scary way but more akin to looking at vomit on a canvas.

After my long rant, I can say a few things that are redeemable about 'The Grudge'. For a first time director Nicholas Pensce he does a good job with how the film is made and if not for the grungy photography I'd say the film was at least competently made for the most part. I also will give it up to John Cho & Betty Gilpin, who do the best acting with their segment. They play a couple having trouble due to their unborn child having some medical issues and I genuinely felt for them. The dialogue in this segment is also well done and I felt the climax to their story was the most tragic. On the whole, the writing overall wasn't too bad but a lot of it is pretty bland and people still make stupid decisions just because it needs to follow the horror formula but surprisingly, this was far from the weakest aspect.

'The Grudge' is just a boring, lazy cash grab that attempts to revive a franchise that was already on thin ice with the numerous Japanese entries. The early year curse that affects the horror film is still strong with this newest corpse for the pyre. Avoid this one and see anything else this weekend or hey just check out the original two 'Ju-On' films if you want a better time.

D-