Firstly, unlike Fangoria’s Tony Timpone, I will not be listing Joker as a horror film. However, I do understand what he’s getting at as he describes that film in that way. If I did, it still would not be placed as my number one pick for favorite horror movie of 2019.
It would be in the top ten, though.
Nevertheless, it is not a horror film.
This year was going to be special. We had releases by three newly crowned Kings of the Horror Directors: Jordan Peele’s Us, Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, and Ari Aster’s Midsommar. None of which I liked. In fact, I hated Aster’s film so much I doubt I will ever bother with any of his upcoming work. Yes, I liked his Hereditary. However, I found it rather overrated at the same time. As for Us, it just seemed like a film made for film nerds like me. Those of us that like to take apart a film to see how it works. Get Out has that element as well. Unlike this film, it was also interested in entertaining its audience. Much like Peele’s Us, I did not hate The Lighthouse. It is mostly just too damn long for a movie about two guys yelling at each other. I loved both Get Out and The Witch The Witch, so both directors are still of interest to me.
As usual, I have come to find that there is just too many films each year to get myself in front of to watch. This has become clearer than ever since I started watching Myron Hladyniuk of Happy Wax TV (here is his favorites of the year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQIeuIEnNhw). This person sees a lot of horror and science fiction films throughout the year. He is one of the better Youtubers doing reviews for films of interest to me. As for me, I see but a faction of the stuff he has his eyes scoping out.
Therefore, even though there is many other films I would love to check out before making this list of favorite horror flicks of 2019, I have decided it would be best if I just cut it off where I left off. Below is my Top Ten Favorite Horror Films of 2019.
10. Nightmare Cinema
Directors, Mick Garris and Joe Dante gather three other filmmakers (Alejandro Brugués, Ryūhei Kitamura, and David Slade) to helm one of the better anthology horror flicks to come out in recent years. We get a descent into madness, plastic surgery run amok, demon possession, and a slasher with a twist that makes it something completely different. My favorite segment is David Slade’s ‘This Way to Egress’. It has the feeling of David Lynch directing an episode of the original Twilight Zone series.
9. Rabid
I have not been a fan of Sylvia & Jen Soska’s work. To be honest, American Mary was just OK, in my opinion. However, I have been rooting for them. They are clearly horror fans. Moreover, since the original Cronenberg film is one of the rare films that he has done that I do not like, I was hoping for them to make a version that I can like. Therefore, now, there is a Soska Sisters film and a film called Rabid that I am a fan of. There is just a hint of Cronenberg’s version here. It is to a point where you could view it as an original film, albeit a work inspired by his films. Laura Vandervoort does an excellent job in the lead role. In addition, Mackenzie Gray, who plays her fashion designer boss, is a standout. I actually thought he was German with his spot-on imitation of Werner Herzog.
8. Pet Sematary
This is a case of being too close to the novel when the first film was made and not liking that version. Because I have not watched the original adaptation in many years, I cannot really say what made me dislike Mary Lambert’s film. However, I am not a fan. With distance and some nice alterations, this version really did it for me.
7. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
For years, I have been aware of the book. Or books. I’m not even sure. I have always found the illustrations interesting. To be clear, I went into this pretty blind. I am a bit of a sucker for the spookier supernatural type of films. This film fits right into that category rather well. With André Øvredal’s direction and, cinematographer, Roman Osin photography (both known for The Autopsy of Jane Doe) the mood and the look of the film is as good as it gets.
6. Daniel Isn’t Real
Have you ever wondered what it may look like if 1991’s kid flick Drop Dead Fred was done as a brutal psychological horror flick? Well, here you go!
5. Ready or Not
It is as if Agatha Christie on acid decided to write her own version of The Most Dangerous Game. This film is brutal, suspenseful, and loads of fun.
4. Piercing
If The Eyes of My Mother was a bigger deal like Get Out, Hereditary, or, The Witch, Nicolas Pesce might have been added to the list of directors above. There is one difference: I actually really liked this film about a man who plans to hire a call girl so he can kill her, but does not expect that she just might be far more dangerous than he is. Ryû Murakami, who also wrote the book in which Takashi Miike’s Audition is based upon, wrote the novel in which this film is based on.
3. The Perfection
I think this is the only Netflix film on this list. I had two Stephen King Netflix adaptation on my list from 2018. As for this film, well, it is so inventive and strange that I find it impossible to describe here. I know it is never what you think it is at any given moment. It also has one of the best endings of any film I have seen in a very long time.
2. Depraved
Chances are I am a sucker for Larry Fessenden films. The Last Winter is still my favorite of his films, but Depraved is a close second. Fessenden films are usually adult, intelligent, and filled with heart. This modern take on Frankenstein is no different.
1. Tigers Are Not Afraid
Talking about a film with heart? Here you go. This dark fairy tale features kids living on the streets of a Mexican city who have to deal with the drug cartel who runs the city and the ghosts of their victims. It would be proper to feature this and Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth on a double-bill. They are both Spanish language films that weave great and moving horror stories with brutality and magic.
This is the usually the space I reserve to tell you what my favorite superhero film is for the year. I have to be honest; I am kind of sick of superhero films. Therefore, I will replace that kind of film with a science fiction movie instead. Aniara is a Swedish science fiction film from 2018, but was released in North America in 2019. Earth is becoming increasingly uninhabitable and a large ship called, Aniara is sent to Mars to set up a colony. Some man-made space debris hits the ship and pushes it off course. Unable to go back on course the ship travels around as society eventually breaks down.
As for my favorite fantasy film, this year I would have to go with Abominable. It is a fun adventure story with good characters and stunning visuals.
–Charles T. Cochran
Views of the Fantastic 