So here it is, the end of the year, and fingers are furiously googling to peruse everyone’s best of 2010 lists. Even though I’m not fond of the concept, I find myself doing this as well. As tight as you have your finger on the pulse of the horror scene, it’s easy to miss hidden gems. If there’s something out there that’s even remotely worth it’s runtime, I want to see it. In theory, best-of lists provide this service. In reality, most lists are just a repeat of the last ten lists that you’ve already read. Instead of doing a list of films that I feel were the best of the year, I’m going to list some films that shocked me in one way or another. Whether these films are shockingly good, or bad, or just straight from left field, these are films I feel should be mentioned for some reason.

The Wolfman

When the teasers for the 2010 remake of the Universal horror classic “The Wolfman” began to invade screens, I was already interested. When I found out that legendary FX guru Rick Baker was handling the werewolf effects, I was sold. Then, the reviews started to pour in, and they weren’t in any way favorable. I’m generally not one to be detracted by bad reviews from other viewers, but for some reason, my hopes were crushed. I didn’t make it to the theater to see “The Wolfman”, nor was I first in line to pick up the Blu-Ray. When I finally got around to watching it, it was more a formality than anything. I wanted to go ahead and get my disappointment out of the way, so that I could put my curiosity to rest. Little did I know that I was in store for an actual competent take on one of my favorite classics. The first surprise was that Universal opted for an R rated film. It would have been so easy for them to water the film down to the dreaded PG-13, and cash in on the tween audience, but for some reason, they stuck to their guns, and “The Wolfman” had teeth, so to speak. Benicio Del Toro was an odd choice to play the lead, but he did so with gravitas. Granted, I opted for the “UNRATED” cut of the film rather than the theatrical version, so I’m not sure what cuts were made to acquire the R rating, but I was wowed by how gory this film turned out to be. Severed heads, limbs, and buckets of blood, for a mainstream film, it got pretty wet. On top of that, the story was great, the direction was stylish, and it didn’t feel a bit cheesy. I know some of you are probably of the same mindset that I once was, so if you’re still on the fence on this one, jump on over to the other side, you may find yourself as surprised as I was.

Survival of the Dead

I feel like I’ve been ranting about this film for months now, and maybe I have been. George Romero’s return to his world of the dead was easily my most disappointing film related moment of 2010. Though I enjoyed “Diary of the Dead” for what it was, I wasn’t overly crazy about it. There were a lot of flaws that needed to be forgiven, but in the end, I overcame them. “Survival” was the straw that broke the camel’s back. In the interest of full disclosure, I will fess up to being a massive Romero fanboy. “Day of the Dead”, being my favorite of the series, set the bar so high for zombie cinema, that no film has been able to live up to my expectations since. I have a little more love for “Land of the Dead” than most people seem to, as I felt it was the next logical step after “Day”, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t get past the many, many flaws of “Survival of the Dead”. For starters, the special effects are atrocious. Tom Savini’s make-up effects are one of the things that elevated Romero’s previous efforts above whatever competition that were to follow. I realize that I am a dinosaur, and that CGI is the future, blah blah blah, but nothing tops good old fashioned latex, and fake blood. A good indicator is to compare the exploding headshot from the original “Dawn of the Dead”, to the exploding headshot from the beginning of “Survival”. I’ve tried several times to watch the film for a third time, to make sure I wasn’t being overly harsh. Each time, I get to the pumpkin-top headshot scene, and eject the disc. I started salivating over this film before it even had a title, and for it to be so lackluster, was heartbreaking. The bad effects aren’t the only culprit, the main problem with “Survival” is that it’s just cheesy, and not in a good way. I’m not some stick-up-the-ass prude that won’t tolerate comedic relief in my horror films, I just feel that if you’re going to go that route, do so well. Some of the scenes felt like they were lifted directly from a Looney Toons skit. The pumpkin-head headshot is just the tip of the iceberg. Add in the “Road Runner” inspired dynamite scene, the over-the-top cheesiness of the O’Flynn character, and a horse riding zombie, and it just becomes too much to handle. I’m not sure the film could even be salvaged if all of those flaws were remedied. Romero did not return to form with this entry into the series, and I fear that it’s becoming a pattern of mediocrity. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t written the man off, and I’m still just as big of a fan as I ever was, I just hope he finds his groove again before his next effort is unleashed.

The Loved Ones

One of my favorite feelings is to put a film in that I have no previous knowledge of, and be hang-jawed in awe after it’s over. I knew nothing of “The Loved Ones” going in, other than it was an Aussie flick, and I liked the cover art, what a hell of a ride that followed. I won’t spoil for you the details, but I’ll say that the film is smart, sexy, brutal as hell, and at times quite macabre. Stylishly shot, with an ear pleasing soundtrack, an attractive young cast, and one of the most solidly performed villains in years, “The Loved Ones” is absolute required viewing by all. Robin McLeavy brings such talent to her role, that she immediately dwarfs anyone that she shares the screen with. As far as I’m concerned, she creates one of the most sinister cinematic villains of the past decade. This film is bat-shit insane, and never lets up. There is a bit of comedy relief involving a sex and drug fueled trip to the highschool prom, which is entertaining even on it’s own. The special effects are great, and do a phenomenal job displaying some of the absurdities within, one being a concept originally attempted by notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. “The Loved Ones” is near perfection, and sure to please any horror fan looking for something original.

Legion

I wouldn’t exactly say that I was excited about “Legion”. It did, however look to be a great Holllywood popcorn flick. Though it sounds like a cliché, every scene of action was displayed at least partially in the trailer, and the rest of the film was spent developing unnecessary back stories for each character. I have no problem at all with a film attempting to develop a relationship between the viewer, and the characters, I think it heightens the overall experience, in most cases. In the case of “Legion”, though, it pretty much destroyed the experience. The formula got old, real fast. Two minutes of action that we had already seen before the film began, followed by 10 straight minutes of a random person’s life story, and how they came to be in a diner in the desert. “Legion” was one of the most boring films I sat through in 2010.

Night of the Demons

Yes, we are all very, very tired of remakes. Though, in several examples in the 2010 lineup of films, we’re reminded that, if handled properly, a re-imagined film can be a great cinematic experience. The original “Night of the Demons” is only considered a classic by those of uber-horror nerds. It’s a fun little Halloween flick to pop in the player each year, but it doesn’t have much brand name recognition with the mainstream crowd. My hopes after seeing this remake would be for that to change, as this was probably the most fun I had watching a film the entire year. The pacing is madness. Once the action gets started, it continuously assaults you about the face until there’s nothing left. Fueled by a great performance by the one, the only, Edward Furlong, and a spectacular soundtrack, “Night of the Demons” was the party movie of the year, and the best Halloween film experience I have had since the first viewing of “Trick r Treat”. This film will definitely be required viewing for decades worth of Halloween’s to come.

30 Days Of Night: Dark Days

I know I don’t speak for everyone when I say, I loved the original “30 Days Of Night”. In the midst of Twilight’s active destruction of the Vampire sub-genre, it’s nice to pop in a recent vampire classic, and remind myself that these creatures of the night weren’t always whiny little emo shits. The vampires were dirty, and brutal, and the film had an original enough gimmick to distinguish it’s self from the rest of the pack. Suffice it to say, I’ve been excited for the sequel since it was announced. Even when I learned it was going straight to disc, and that the original actors weren’t reprising their roles, I still clenched to the hope that it would be as solid of an experience as the first film. “Dark Days” follows Stella to the city of Los Angeles on a quest for revenge. Stella is having a hard time convincing people of what really happened in her sleepy Alaskan town. She runs into a ridiculously diverse group of people, who turn out to also be victims of vampire assaults, and are hunting the vampire queen, Lilith. I didn’t expect a remake of the first film, but taking the franchise to the bland urban setting of L.A. Immediately cheapens the experience. None of the characters were interesting, and their decisions were illogical. Early on, we’re made aware that a vampire cannot be killed by a gun. Why is it then, that the only weapons used on the vampires, were guns? It became a poorly executed city-wide game of whack-a-mole. Lilith, for being so important to the future of the vampire race, has a piss poor security detail. While the battle is raging at it’s most insane, she’s just skipping around, amidst the chaos, and none of her vampire buddies seem to mind. “Dark Days” is a piss-poor film, even by straight to disc sequel standards.

A Serbian Film

A Serbian Film is the most shocking film I saw in 2010. Perhaps it’s the fact that such disturbing content was presented with top class production values, and superb acting. Generally a film like this turns out to be a DIY experience, with actors who couldn’t sell you shampoo, and a poorly written script that creates each moment as a device to get to the killing. “ASF”, despite what it’s detractors say, has a purpose. It’s not just shock for shocks sake. There is an actual narrative, and characters to care about. The acting is phenomenal, especially Srdjan Todorovic as Milos. There are moments in this film that made me feel disgusted to be a member of the human race. There are even a couple of dramatic scenes that brought me to the brink of tears. Todorovic’s portrayal of a man desperate to provide for his family is convincing, and heartbreaking. When Milos begins his descent into madness, he takes you down with him, and makes you feel every bit of pain that he does. This is easily one of the best films of the year. Perhaps it’s because I had little to no expectations going in, but “ASF” hit me hard, and has stuck with me long after the film ended.

Cabin Fever 2

Say whatever you want about “Eli Roth”, I enjoy his films, and I don’t care to say as much. I especially loved “Cabin Fever”. It was such a fun homage to late 70′s horror, packed to the gills with laugh out loud dialog, and scenes of gore that made me cringe. When I heard that, not only was there a sequel being made, but one of my favorite up and coming directors, Ti West, was behind the wheel, I immediately set the bar really high for this little sequel. Then the rumors of problems on the set started to leak, and eventually, the nail in the coffin, Ti West had officially abandoned the project, and left it up to the producers to film an ending, and edit the film. You can still tell that this film was shot by West, though. A lot of his visual style still seeped through, despite the corporate white washing. The biggest problem with Cabin Fever 2, is that it has no ending. Just when it feels like the film is about to go to hilarious places, the ended smacks you in the face, and lets you realize that you just wasted 90 minutes of your life that you will never get back. Had the studio allowed West to just do what he does, and does well, this could have easily been one of the most enjoyable films of the year. As it stands, though, it’s just a huge disappointment, and a rally cry to studios to get their boots off of the necks of their filmmakers. They know what their audience wants, so let them give it to us.

Daybreakers

2010 started off with a bang. Though it hasn’t completely found it’s audience yet, “Daybreakers” was one of the best horror films of the year. It was certainly the best vampire movie of the year. After the quirky zombie comedy “Undead” in the year 2003, I was instantly fascinated by the work of The Spierig Brothers, and they didn’t disappoint me with their entry into the vampire sub-genre. Much like their take on the zombie film, “Daybreakers” isn’t your average vampire flick. An entire alternate reality has been created, in which humans are on the path to extinction, and Vampires have become the culturally dominant species. We follow not only a team of human resistance as they struggle to keep their species alive, but the vampire majority as they try to figure out what they’re going to do about food once the last human has bit the dust. The whole thing is really quite fascinating, and presented in such a unique looking package. For being a widely released film, it’s also quite brutal, and bloody. Humans and vampires alike are shown being torn limb from limb, in gory detail. An exploding head toward the beginning of the film turned my entire living room red when we watched the film on Blu-Ray for the first time. I can’t recommend this one enough.

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Yeah, I know. What was I expecting? I don’t care what you think about me, I enjoyed the first three “Resident Evil” films. Yes, they were cheesy, and I’m in no way claiming them to be high art, but they were fun to watch goddamnit! Sometimes a little mindless Hollywood popcorn action is needed to cleanse the palette. I’m not sure where you fall on the issue, but I’ve had it from the asshole to the elbow with this 3D nonsense. Every film I’ve bothered to see in 3D except for the “My Bloody Valentine” remake has sent me away from the theater with a throbbing headache. I want you to take this into consideration when I say that the 3D aspect of “RE:A” is it’s only redeeming quality. For the first time, I felt like not only was there a place for the 3D gimmick, but it was very well executed, and actually added to the experience. Now, it would have been wonderful if the film to go along with that technology wasn’t so mind-numbingly terrible. It’s hard to take a brainless franchise like “Resident Evil” and fuck it up so bad, but somehow, the series’ original director found a way to do so. For a franchise about the zombie apocalypse, there was certainly a shocking lack of the undead to be found. What we are treated with, instead, is basically a 90 minute montage of the worst Hollywood action film cliches of the past several decades. There are scenes that are lifted frame for frame from other films, and a villain so ridiculously over-the-top that you end up just not caring who dies, as long as the credits roll soon. One of the worst films of the year, very easily.

Luster

I’m sure, if you’ve been around me for any amount of time, you’ll be aware by now that I am a huge fan of Adam Mason. I think he has the most appealing visual style of any director working today. “Luster” is Adam’s attempt at crossing his normal gritty indie films, with a full fledged commercially marketable thriller. Adam’s friend, and collaborator Andrew Howard, has returned to put in yet another pitch perfect performance as Thomas Luster, who is spiraling into madness as he battles with a severe case of insomnia, a highly unsatisfying marriage, a ridiculously annoying neighbor whom he thinks is shagging his wife, and a miserable job. “Luster” was written more as a dark comedy, than a horror, or a thriller, but it blends the three genre’s together perfectly. The story is intriguing, the characters are easy to relate to, and the gimmick is unique enough so that this feels like a wholly original experience. Some familiar faces pop up as the characters in Thomas’s life, and by the end, you’ll have gotten to know, love, and eventually mourn at least one character. “Luster’ may not be my my favorite Adam Mason film, but it’s certainly one of the better films that I saw in 2010.

Long Pigs

“Long Pigs” may have been one of the most surprising films of the year for me. At the time that I had watched it, I was pretty much fed up with the mockumentary. The plot synopsis made the film sound similar to “Behind The Mask” which I had enjoyed, but since then, the market has been saturated with this style of film. Hell, even Romero tried to cash in on this fad. “Long Pigs” follows a couple of documentary filmmakers, as they chronicle the activities of a cannibalistic serial killer. The duo follow as their subject stalks, kills, and dresses his victim. We are even shown the different type of victims needed for certain dishes to be prepared. Anthony Alviano is so energetic in his portrayal of Anthony Mcalistar that you find it easy to sympathize, maybe even empathize with the man, despite the horrendous ways he spends his free time. Filmmakers Chris Power, and Nathan Hynes turn in an indie powerhouse, with a stale premise, but so well executed that it makes even the “found footage” mockumentary seem fresh.

I Saw The Devil

I generally steer clear of Asian cinema. It’s nothing personal, I’ve just grown so tired of greasy haired ghosts with pale skin, doing something most often involving water. I know it’s a generalization, but It’s left such a bad taste in my mouth that I’m kind of pigheaded about it. It’s okay though, because that is about to change. I used to feel the same way about French cinema, until Haute Tension came around, now I get excited any time I hear the news of a new horror film coming out of France. Because of Ji-woon Kim, and his amazing film, “I Saw The Devil”, I can now say the same thing about Korean films. The film is built from many different solid foundations. It’s part slasher, part serial killer, part drama, and part revenge. It’s a gruesomely brutal and bloody game of cat and mouse, between a prolific serial killer, and the fiance of one of his victims. It’s not enough to just kill him, that wouldn’t be enough revenge, he devises a plan to relentlessly pursue his target, with the help of some high tech surveillance gear, until he just can’t take it anymore, and THEN kill him. I would consider “I Saw The Devil” to be my favorite film of the year.

So there you have it. I actually scaled back quite a bit, had I have listed all of the films I wanted to, we would have been there for days. The problem with 2010 wasn’t a lack of quality horror content. It was the fact that you had to go out of your way to find it. There were plenty of amazing films to be seen, most of which were not available through normal channels. There were some real duds this year as well, don’t get me wrong, but I think 2010 was overall a great year for the genre fan.

Tags: 2010, 2010 best of worst of, 30 Days of Night Dark Days, A Serbian Film, Cabin Fever 2, Daybreakers, I Saw The Devil, Legion, Long Pigs, Luster, Night of the Demons, Resident Evil Afterlife, Survival of the Dead, The Wolfman