Top 20 Horror Films of 2010

With the days left in 2010 dwindling down, I decided it's safe to compile a list of the year's best horror films.

In a year with many stinkers, such as Saw 3D, Paranormal Activity 2, the remake of the Universal Studios classic The Wolfman, the remake of Wes Craven's classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, Let Me In (a useless remake of the fantastic Swedish film Let The Right One In.), Predators, Splice and My Soul To Take, I found it refreshing that I was able to come up with 20, count 'em, 20 good horror films that were released here in the U.S. in 2010.

(I'll make note that a few of these may have seen international releases or festival releases prior to 2010, but they all saw their widest U.S. releases come in 2010.)

# 20 - Piranha 3D - Some call it a remake, others a re-invisioning and still others a modernization, Piranha 3D is a fun romp that is chock full of horror cliche', T & A, and gore galore. If you didn't have fun watching this one, you either take yourself far too seriously, or you need to ask your doctor for some Xanax. It's a film that allows you to simpley relax, forget your troubles, and have fun.

#19 - Daybreakers - The Spierig brothers managed to come up with a few new ideas to vampire lore that weren't a total slap in the face to the history of the bloodsuckers (Unlike Twilight). With a unique script, some fantastic SPFX and Willem DaFoe turning in yet another one of his signature creepy performances, Daybreakers was one of this year's more enjoyable films, and marked the return of the non-sparkling, non-whimpy vampires!

# 18 - Kill Devil Hill - Ace Jordan's short film that is a re-enactment of one of the most bizarre crimes in history; an unsolved crime that triggered a bizarre series of murders through out North Carolina. Jordan did more with a short film than most of the over-budgeted Hollywood horror that hit theaters this year. Take it from me, Ace Jordan is a name to remember.

# 17 - Machete - Robert Rodriguez's feature length film based on his faux trailer from his and Quentin Tarantino's 2007 hit homage to grindhouse cinema titled, quite appropriately, Grindhouse. The film stars Danny Trejo, one of my favorite characters actors, as well as many of horror's most beloved actors and actresses. The film's political content, which I usually enjoy in a film, seemed a little too off-base considering the issues with illegal immigration that we here in the U.S. are being forced to deal witih. The film seemed to condone illegal immigration, which did take me out of the film at certain points, which is the only reason I haven't listed it higher on this list. Overall, it's a wonderfully fun film, with that one issue that irked me.

# 16 - The Crazies - Anyone who has read my reviews, as well as those who know me, know that I am sometimes on the fence when it comes to remakes of classic films. Often remakes are overdone, and thus they turn out to be a waste of time and a boat load of money. Every now and then a remake ends up being well done and enjoyable. And there have been, on a few rare occasions, where I felt that the remake outdid it's predecessor. The Crazies, which is a remake of George A. Romero's 1973 classic, falls into the middle category. It's not as good as that of Romero, but it is very well made. The filmmaker did not attempt to outdo the original, nor did it disrespect Romero, or his film, in any manner whatsoever.

# 15 - After.Life - When I reviewed this film, I was very torn. It had great potential and was, for the most part, a decent film. My issues with the film included the poorly chosen ending as well as a very subdued Liam Neeson. Neeson is a fantastic actor whose acting appeared to have been neuterd by director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo. I believe that had Wojtowicz-Vosloo chosen a different ending and had Neeson been allowed to turn in a more aggresive performance, After.Life could have been a great film. As it is, it's a good one, and despite my complaints, it's still among this year's 20 best horror films.

# 14 - Monsters - So Monsters isn't exactly as much of a horror film as it had been advertised. It's more of a love story set to a backdrop of a world where aliens have landed on Earth and are treated as though they are unwanted immigrants. Like Machete, Monsters does deal with the issue of illegal immigration but with less of a prejudice. The acting is fantastic, as are the SPFX and the story.

# 13 - 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams - Tim Sullivan's sequel to his 2005 film 2001 Maniacs, which was itself a sequel to the classic 1964 film, 2000 Maniacs, from legendary filmmaker H.G. Lewis. The film stars Bill Moseley (Who takes over the role of Mayor Buckman, which had been played by Robert Englund in 2001 Maniacs and by Jeffrey Allen in 2000 Maniacs.), Kevin "Ogre" Ogilvie, Christa Campbell, Ahmed Best and Lin Shaye. I'll be honest, I am a fan of the original Lewis classic, but I enjoyed Field of Screams more than Sullivan's first film and Lewis' original. There, I said it. Come chop me up, grind my flesh and make meatloaf burgers out of me!

# 12 - 8213: Gacy House - This film comes to us from The Asylum, the company that brought you Paranormal Entity, Snakes on a Train and Titanic 2, so it was hard to expect much of anything from a found footage film that involves a television crew of paranormal investigators spending a night in the house that is now sitting on the foundation where the home of serial killer John Wayne Gacy once sat. It turns out that The Asylum hit the mark at last! Gacy House is one of the best found footage films that I've ever seen, and this is coming from someone who's favorite genre is indeed the found footage genre. My advice: Skip that huge budgeted Paranormal Activity 2 nonsense and give 8213: Gacy House a shot.

# 11 - Pig - Pig is director Adam Mason's experimental horror film and stars frequent Mason-production star Andrew Howard. Horror is meant to horrify. To disgust. To repulse. With Pig, Adam Mason has delivered on all counts. The film is shocking from start to finish. With an ending that is guaranteed to be 100% unpredictable!

# 10 - Buried - Buried is a Spanish horror/thriller from director Rodrigo Cortes and stars Ryan Reynolds. The film is very Hitchcockian and takes place entirely inside of a wooden coffin buried somewhere in the sands of Iraq. Reynolds' performace fell flat at times throughout the film, but overall it's a fantastic movie and is one that, sadly, has yet to have been made availble to viewers and moviegoers everywhere as it only received a very limited theatrical release.

# 9 - Hatchet II - Hatchet II is director Adam Green's sequel to his 2006 hit film, Hatchet. The film stars Kane Hodder, Tony Todd, Danielle Harris, and R.A. Mihailoff. Once again, as he did with the first film, Green has made what slasher fans want; an original film with an iconic slasher, plenty of blood and gore as well as some great kill scenes.

# 8 - Shutter Island - I'll admit that I almost left this film off of the list as I see it more along the lines of being a thriller than a horror film. After thinking it over, I decided to include it here. Shutter Island is Martin Scorsese's first return to the genre since his 1991 hit Cape Fear. Scorsese's amazing writing, along with great acting from Leonardo DiCaprio, Sir Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo make Shutter Island one of the year's best, and a film that, although I don't consider it to be a true horror film, it is deserving to make this list.

# 7 - Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre - Released here in the U.S. under the title Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre, the film stars Leatherface himself, Gunnar Hansen, Ragnhildur Steinunn Jónsdóttir, Miranda Hennessy, Nae, and Terence Anderson. While this script may not be in the same category as that of Shutter Island, the film's ability to pay homage to many of our most beloved classic horror films such as Night of the Living Dead, Orca, Open Water, The Hills Have Eyes, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, bring to light some of today's most relevent issues such as racism, hate, homophobia and whaling, all the while still being able to create a uniquely clever tale of horror earns it a spot high up on my list.

# 6 - Frozen - Director Adam Green's horror tale about a group of friends who, while skiiing at a resort, are forgotten about by the resort's employees and left, stranded atop of the ski-lift, with few options of how to survive the freezing cold night temperatures as well as the hungry wolves awaiting them down below. Frozen is a film that any one of us can relate to. It's plot is certainly a believable, and frighteningly possible scenario, making the film all that much more terrifying.

# 5 - Four Stories of St. Julian - Another very Hitchcockian film. This one tells the story of four strangers who become trapped inside the elevator of St. Julian, a rundown old inner-city apartment building that had once been a religious sanctuary. The entire film takes place within the cramp walls of the elevator, where not everyone is whom they may seem.

# 4 - The Last Exorcism - As mentioned earlier, I am a huge fan of the found footage genre of horror films, so I was eager to see director Daniel Stamm and co-producer Eli Roth's The Last Exorcism from the moment that I first saw it's teaser trailer. But, because of the Paranormal Activity films,and my disdain for every aspect of them, I went into this one with great trepidation. As the closing creidts rolled, I found myself in awe. Not only was this film far superior to that Paranormal Activity claptrap, I found The Last Exorcism to be one of the greatest films in the history of the found footage genre. It's well written, the acting is far above par, and the ending? Fantastic!

# 3 - Dead Hooker In A Trunk - The debut film of the Twisted Twins, Jen & Sylvia Soska, Dead Hooker In A Trunk is nothing short of amazing! The Soska sisters wrote, directed, produced and starred in this horror-comedy about a ragtag group of four friends who are unwillingly thrust into the unenviable scenario of having to dispose of the dead hooker that they find in the trunk of their car. The Soskas are amazing in their first film. Their behind-the-camera work is top notch and their on-screen work is that of actresses with decades of screen work under their proverbial belts, despite the fact that this is their first film. You must see this film! You'll cringe and you'll laugh until you cry.

# 2 - The Human Centipede (First Sequence) - Director Tom Six brought to us this tale that takes the idea of horror, and of the evils that man is capable of to new heights. If not for the film listed at number one, which also takes horror to places it's rarely, if ever, been to before, The Human Centipede (First Sequence) would surely have taken the top spot. Six's tale is that of a mad German doctor, Doktor Heiter, played by the uber-creepy Dieter Laser, who's plan, after he's abducted 3 tourists, is to connect them, via their gastrointestinal tract, making the world's first, yep, you guessed it, human centipede! Laser is amazing and the three victims, played by Ashlynn Yennie, Ashley C. Williams and Akihiro Kitamura do a fantastic job contorting into positions that had to make any actor or actress feel awkward and uncomfortable.

And now, with 19 down, we only have one more film to go. This film, which I see as the best horror film of 2010, is also one of the most disturbing and greatest films that this genre has ever known! And that film is....

# 1 - Srpski Film - Better known by many, if not most, fans as A Serbian Film, Srpski Film is, without any doubt in my mind, the greatest horror film of the year! I didn't have to put any thought into which film was most deserving of the top honors when making this list. Srpski Film is disturbing, sickening, vomitous and unsettling but it is also very artistic and contains a very important political message. The message, which may not, at first, mean much to you if you aren't living in Serbia, is one that actually should have some impact on all of us. It's a message, a cry out for help, from a filmmaker from Serbia who wanted to world to know how horrifically the people of Serbia have been treated, by their very own government. And with our rights here in the U.S. being taken away at an alarming rate, this message may indeed become a very pertinent one to us all here in the states before too long. Nothing in this film is as it seems. It is all meant in a metaphoric manner, to illustrate to what extent some governments, the Serbian government in particular, are willing to go to control and demoralize their own people! This film is meant to horrify, it is meant to disgust, it's meant to offend. And most of all, it's meant to be thought-provoking. It's meant to draw attention to the atrocities being committed against human beings,people just like you and me, not only in Serbia, but all across this world, by the very people who are supposed to be caring for and protecting them. It's a cry for attention for those whose voices cannot be heard. Srpski Film is not for everyone. Unless you are the hardest of hardcore horror fans, you may not be able to handle what is on the screen throughout this film. However, if you are interested in seeing it, I suggest that you first learn about it, about what the filmmaker is trying to convey, the message that I've mentioned above. Once you understand the film, you should be able to at least appreciate it for what it is meant to be, and not view it simply as an exploitation film, as many others have done.

So there you have it. My choices for the top 20 horror films of 2010. What are your choices for the best of the year?

Below are links to the reviews I did for some of the films on my list: