As I’ve been consumed with the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast, among other life’s happenings, I feel I have missed a good majority of what’s been relevant in horror. But I intend to play catch up!
Starting with what I loved to what I essentially enjoyed here are my top five horror films of 2019:
1) SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is honestly my all-time favorite horror film of this year. Not everyone would say it lived up to the anticipation and hype. However, I love a fun horror flick and this one was simply that for me, a fun feature. Despite the film not fully depicting the original stories that Alvin Schwartz had stamped in my childhood nightmares, I thoroughly enjoyed the kids venturing within the nostalgic tales. With Andre Ovredal’s vision and a touch of the terror legend from the Tequila state of Mexico, (Guillermo del Toro); I’d say this was a magical Halloween treat.
2) MA
You know that saying, “Keep your friends close but your enemies closer?” With suppressed feelings of her past, Sue Ann does that as a maternal manipulator. Though this thriller was predictable, Octavia Spencer’s character was just as compelling as she was chilling. Despite some of the film’s pace and bland characters, I love Spencer and I loved how she carried herself in her most menacing role thus far.
3) IT: CHAPTER 2
I can’t say I favor this one over the first film because of the continuation that needed to be presented. Like many others, I’ve awaited the kids return in adulthood back to Derry to face Pennywise. One thing I can say that I do like better about IT 2 over the first one is that I could see more and most of the film. The first feature’s lighting was too dark for my taste. In this one, however, the lighting allowed me to take in more of the atmosphere among the characters. I’m a sucker for seeing the detail production design and attention to SFX work. It: Chapter 2 was a fun fear-filled satisfying journey for me at least.
4) US
Us was something unique as it picked my brain throughout its trippy trek. This is a horror film that you may want to watch a second time, perhaps even a third just to collect yourself from other perspectives. If you’re into mysteries, try going down the rabbit hole with this family and their doppelgängers!
5) MIDSOMMAR
Creepy and colorful, deception pulls from esoteric roots by Pagan practitioners in Midsommer. Vastly in nature, the atmosphere shifts with psychedelic substance as an impressionable couple and their friends fall prey to the peculiar Pagans. Midsommar is beautiful and exceptionally eerie as I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.
