Horror Movie list: 2020 edition

19th of October 2020

We’ve seen so much real-world horror this year that it’s hard to top it. But in the spirit of all previous Halloween lists, I’m going to go ahead with this anyway.

TOP THIRTEEN!

In no particular order, the 13 movies you should be watching this week.

attack the block: a classic, 10/10
snowpiercer: uprising of the underclass. 9/10
people under the stairs: BELONGS IN 2020. 9/10
society: a better documentary than They Live. 9/10
contagion: it drags a little, but have you gotten your hydroxychloroquine forsythia yet? 9/10
us: class uprising, metaphorically. 9/10
green room: racism, cults, punk rock culture, innawoods. 10/10
the crazies: the kind of year it’s been. we didn’t realize our neighbors were this fucked up. 10/10
the thing (even the sequel is good) every year, all the time, we’re gonna find out who’s the thing. 10/10
children of men: how we’ve reacted isn’t much better. 10/10
invasion of the body snatchers: you can’t tell if people are assholes or not, until now. now you can tell. 9/10
the dead zone: we need this. we needed this a while ago. 8/10 (points deducted for effects)
dead snow: We all wish we had snowmobiles and axes these days. 10/10

The rest of the movies aren’t listed in order of best/worst, just as I remember them. Themes listed and my short thoughts, and a 1-10 scale for my personal enjoyment. There’s been a lot of shitty horror made since my previous lists (see here, here and here) (and a list of horror passing various analytical tests, HERE)

click through for the big list.

movies since the last list

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark: it’s about a little kid. Monster movie. Haunted house horror. 5/10 creepy little guys
Resolution/the Endless: endless is the perfect sequel. Existential horror. Time travels. Cults. 10/10
Autopsy of Jane Doe: medical, family issues, witches, existential dread about death, reminiscent of return of the living dead, slow burn, revenge, a new favorite. 10/10
Kingdom: yes it’s a series. It’s the only horror series I’ve been able to sit through. Zombie/plague, politics, battle scenes. Science. 9/10 perfectly done
Spectral: Army guys. Dimensional horror. Fight scenes. Folklore. 6/10 not bad, fighting gets tired after a while.
Await Further Instructions: Racism. Family gatherings. Holidays. Just how people would behave. 9/10
The Boy: Dolls. Ghoooooooosts. Creepy family relationships. House horror. no kids! 8/10
Demonic: ghost hunters, paranormal, twist ending, police presence. well acted! 7/10
Sinister 2: like most sequels, not good. about kids of course. Bad folklore references. 2/10
The Stranger (2014): about a kid. mom was a vampire apparently… viral plagues, body horror. small town living. 9/10
Bliss: Artists and art culture. Great characters. Party. 8/10
He Never Dies: not a bad role for Rollins. immortality, violence, paranoia, revenge of a sort. 7/10
Monster Party: serial killers, family dynamics, surprising facts about rehab. 6/10
We Go On: some plot holes here… existential horror. afterlife, ghosts, stalking. 7/10
House of the Devil: slow burn. predictable ending. rape, demons, cult. filmed beautifully but so what? 4/10
Spring: folklore, relationships, body horror. INCREDIBLE. 9/10
Terrified: plot holes. ghosts/existential horror, dimensions. effects are great. 8/10
Cruising: serial killer, homophobia, cop content, sexual violence. a classic, acted perfectly, directed perfectly. 9/10
The Silence: plot holes SO MANY PLOT HOLES. great creatures. monster movie/apocalyptic. 5/10
Starfish: indie music vinyl collection part-anime monster movie. I know that SOUNDS good but… every instance of “it was all a dream” removed one point. confusing plot, nice monster. SO SLOW. 3/10
We are Still Here: vintage feeling. haunted house/rotten small town. family problems. cold weather. 7/10
Malevolent: pretty decent for a “ghost hunters” movie. 6/10
Beyond the Black Rainbow: cults, mad science. If you liked “the invitation” you might like this. 5/10
Spiral: this one scared me. With the way the world is now I felt real fear watching this. Building dread. homophobia, xenophobia, cults. 8/10
Color out of Space: Nicholas Cage falls in love with a meteor and it’s nothing like the Lovecraft story. Just watch Lovecraft Country instead (unless you want to watch a comedy, it IS Cage, after all. and it got 3 extra points for casting Chong) 3/10
The Fields: about a kid. but also about how creepy the rural areas of PA can be. great setting, great plot. 9/10
Southbound: an anthology, which isn’t as coherent as I wished it was. some sections are worth the watch. 6/10
Void: cults, medical and body horror, and interdimensional mad science. 8/10
Under the Skin: strange aliens, with strange goals. rape, of course, because the main character’s a “woman”. 6/10
Get Out: Holy shit rich white people scare me. 9/10
Antiviral: medical and body horror, doppelgangers, and paranoia. 8/10
Mayhem: Every workplace should be unionized. infection, medical horror, violence with office supplies. 10/10
digging up the marrow
Eli: you’ve seen this movie before, but you won’t know it until the end of the movie. I’m not sure I like that. it’s also about a kid. medical horror, demons, ghosts. 4/10
in the tall grass: Time travel/elder gods and of course the King fear of Native sacred ground. well made. 8/10
it comes at night: paranoia, disease and isolation all wrapped up neatly in a good mystery story. 7/10
they look like people: Paranoia, so much paranoia. 9/10
Baskin: demons and deals. 6/10
Ma: just an incredible revenge story. teenagers, but not about teenagers. Great cast and slow build of dread throughout. 9/10
Midsommar: revenge movie with a cult to help it along. slow, and pretty. overrated. 6/10
XX: anthology that’s a 50/50 hit. rated slightly higher because the hits are really, really worth it. 6/10
Train to Busan: zombies aren’t as tired out as a genre as you’d think. yeah, it’s about a kid. ugh. 7/10
The Golem: antisemitism, colonial times, women fixing shit. yes, it’s about a kid. fuck sake 7/10
Thirst: Catholic vampire romance horror. What more is there? medical horror too. 7/10
Into the Forest: I understand that there’s two women as main characters during a power outage apocalypse so there’s got to be rape, but still. 4/10
Tales of Halloween: gives trick r treat a run for its money. ADRIENNE BARBEAU. 7/10
Platform: seems more relevant now than last year. Very violent; plot holes or three. Great acting. 6/10
The Vampire’s Assistant: I’m not usually a horror-comedy fan, but this movie had it all. spiders too. 8/10
Don’t Kill It: fresh premise, good plot. demons, possession, and paranoia. 8/10
Cold Skin: everything the Lighthouse SHOULD have been. Colonizer/Native metaphors. monster movie, with a twist. Antarctic isolation horror. 9/10
Hereditary: overrated, but not bad. family issues, cults, motherhood. yes it’s about a kid/teenager. 6/10
Demon: addresses the leftover horror of genocide, family issues, weddings, and being a stranger in a strange land. 8/10
Patchwork: technically a horror comedy which I usually dislike. Still, it was done well- callbacks to reanimator! no rape scenes, which is amazing for a film with 3 women leads. 8/10
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night: unsatisfying ending, but excellent throughout. classic, straightforward vampire story, in a fresh setting. 8/10

older movies I strongly suggest

rare exports: Santa? not a good thing. 9/10
the stuff: addiction, consumer culture. 7/10
return of the living dead parts 1,2 and 3: 10/10, 8/10, 9/10
the relic: science gone wrong due to egos. 8/10
pioughkeepsie tapes: serial killer culture done as a fake true-crime documentary. 10/10 if you watch a lot of those, 7/10 if you don’t get those references
the diabolical: ghosts or time travel or some kind of dimension warps? 9/10
the ruins: when the locals tell you to fuck off, fuck off. this is a killer plant movie. 9/10
the girl next door: pure American sociopathy. rape, torture, and the “good old days” 9/10
splice: mad science and monsters. rape and rape-adjacent scenes, of course, since women are lead characters. 7/10
grave encounters: 10/10 of you watch ghost bro shows. 6/10 if you don’t
dog soldiers: possibly the perfect werewolf movie. 10/10
dead birds: possibly the perfect Civil War movie. 10/10
body bags: anthology. hits and misses. 6/10
dead alive: the perfect zombie romance movie. Nothing has ever come close. 10/10
vamp: it has Grace Jones. 9/10
altered: the best alien movie ever made. 10/10
final destination: the grim reaper is rube goldberg. 7/10
Pan’s labrynth: the horrors of fascism. but about a kid. 9/10
freaks: the original, the classic unity revenge story. 10/10
candyman: city horror, a rarity. real bees. 10/10
freaked: horror comedy. 6/10
the mist: the best ending. 10/10
the taking of Deborah Logan: medical horror plus some supernatural stuff. 9/10
it follows: disease is on everyone’s mind right now. pretentious, but excellent concept and plot. 8/10
Ganja and Hess: classic vampires. 10/10
the girl with all the gifts: how to make a zombie movie worth watching after all these decades. no humor at all. perfect. except it’s about a kid. 9/10
the horde: what it might actually be like if there were zombies. no information, no help. 9/10
mama: finally, a stepmom/adopted mom that’s GOOD. but it’s about kids. 6/10
the fly: sexy body horror and mad science. 8/10
flatliners: mad science, death, ghosts. 7/10
slither: I take it back. THIS is the best alien movie ever made. 11/10
dark skies: a decent alien movie, but it’s about a kid. 7/10
critters: we’ve come for the crites. 6/10
trick r treat: still an 8/10
fright night: the original. 9/10
troll hunter: government agencies have to handle monsters somehow. 10/10
the host: a better monster movie than so, so many. 9/10
pighunt: we’re all in it together 10/10
Willard: rats, cats, and a weirdo’s revenge 9/10
cold fish: serial killer culture 8/10
night watch/day watch fantasy horror with every creature you can imagine and the cops that watch them. good vs evil without any gods in the way. 10/10
Ravenous (NOT 2017): the original, not the recent one. colonizers gonna pay. amazing soundtrack. 9/10
the shrine: final girl gets what she deserves. 8/10
American werewolf in London: damn good effects for the time, jumps right into the action. 9/10
the pact: ghosts, serial killers, family issues, haunted houses. 9/10
the woman: revenge, sociopaths, the horror behind the mask of the upper class. rape, but… 10/10
reanimator: Jeffrey Combs is the only mad scientist. Rape-y stuff, but no rape. body horror and zombies, a classic. 10/10
blade: the first Blade movie changed the vampire genre. 9/10
the descent: claustrophobic, women in battle, monster movie. paranoia and perception. 10/10
the strain (series): this and kingdom are the only series I’ll recommend in horror right now. 9/10 until the last season. that’s a 6/10
pighunt: we’re all in it together. 10/10
the burrowers: colonizers and monsters, and who can tell the difference. 10/10

Additional list may come during the year, I’ll try to keep adding more.