Crimson Peak

Best of 2015 - Chris's Take

The Best 

1. Crimson Peak - The most beautiful film I’ve seen in a theater in years. No, it’s not all that scary, but it’s a masterful technical achievement by del Toro, and Hiddleston and Chastain are fantastic. It’s a shame this did so poorly, but I imagine it will grow in stature  over time as more and more people see it on Blu-Ray and streaming. Films like Crimson Peak are the reason I love movies.

2. It Follows - A love letter to horror fans of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Near perfection. Worth watching for the music alone.

3. Ex Machina - Smart, serious, and always interesting. Amazing subtle special effects, and Alicia Vikander is incredible. This is the one to show your friends who don’t like horror.

4. The Visit - Not quite a Signs or Unbreakable return-to-form, but definitely a comeback for M. Night. Great acting and pacing, and some genuine scares. Hopefully, this will get Shyamalan back on track for good. The biggest surprise of the year for me.

5. The Voices - About as dark as dark comedy gets, but also a sad and somewhat serious commentary on mental illness. Direction and acting are top-notch. Ryan Reynolds voicing multiple characters, each with a different accent, and effortlessly switching back and forth between comedy and drama shows how truly talented he is.

6. Creep - Proof that it doesn’t take money or special effects to create a gripping, terrifying movie. In this case, it’s just two guys and a camera.

7. A Girl Walks Home at Night - Beautiful black and white cinematography and evidence that new life can be breathed into even the most tired of genres. I can’t wait to see what writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour does next.

8. What We Do in the Shadows - Perfect vampire satire New Zealand-style.

9. A Christmas Horror Story - An old-school horror anthology, and the best in quite some time. Unlike most anthologies, each story is solid. Plus, there’s Santa killing zombie elves and fighting Krampus. Can’t ask for much more than that.

10. When Animals Dream - In Robert Altman’s The Player, the pitch would be, “Ginger Snaps meets Let the Right One In." If you see one werewolf movie this year, this is the one to see.


The Worst

1. The Gallows - Crass teen horror nonsense.

2. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension - Watch Part 3 instead and pretend like Paranormal Activity was a trilogy.

3. Poltergeist - Watch the original instead. Hell, watch Poltergeist II instead.

Chris

A horror fan from the time he first saw Poltergeist on HBO as a child, Chris shares his West Virginia home with his fiancé, a pug, and two chihuahuas, none of whom share his love of all things horror.