The Best Horror Films of 2011

As 2011 ends, it’s time to reflect on the year in horror films. This year was host to some big-name letdowns notably Paranormal Activity 3, Scream 4, Insidious, and Fright Night. While big-name horror films were generally terrible, lesser known horror films more than carried the torch. The newly emerging “found footage”  seemed to be the flavor of the year, films like  The Tunnel, Grave Encounters and Troll Hunter helped to show the genre could provide some twists… though it remains to be seen how long these types of films will be interesting.

Internationally, South Korea’s I Saw the Devil, was one of the best reviewed films of the year, garnering near-unanimous praise. It is a tight and brutal film with beautiful cinematography and some brutal bloody scenes. Watch for the infamous “bloody car ride” shot. Ireland’s Stakeland was also one of the best reviewed horror films of the year, bringing a new twist to the seemingly over-saturated vampire genre.

The strangest horror film of the year is, without a doubt, Rubber. Rubber stars a regular rubber tire that rolls around making things explode. Though the movie becomes muddle towards the end when it realizes it has no point, there is a surprising amount of characterization for the tire.. and most of the movie keeps the viewer wondering what the tire is “thinking”. Great effects lead to some real tension-filled sequences.

The best horror film of 2011 was The Woman, directed by Lucky Mckee and written by Jack Ketchum. The Woman is about a wild woman discovered by a seemingly normal suburban dad. Since the woman is dirty, unclothed, and wild, he captures her and brings her back to his house. He drags her to his shed, where he shackles her to a wall. After bringing his family out to see her, he tells them that they are going to civilize her.

The Woman is actually a sequel to 2009′s The Offspring, which was based on Jack Ketchum’s novel of the same name. After seeing Pollyanna McIntosh  play a small part in the film, Ketchum decided to team up with Mckee and write The Woman. Anyone familiar with Ketchum’s work knows that he has a very terrifying way of weaving domestic life into ultra-violent situations. The Woman is a treat for horror fans, in that it really pulls no punches, it’s no Serbian Film (thank god), but you will see some really despicable things in this movie.

A central theme of the film is how women are viewed by men. In the film, the husband’s character treats the women in his house as property. Without getting into too many details, the husband has complete control over his family and this is juxtaposed against The Woman, who is wild, crazy, and will never listen to what he says. Feminists have complained of the film’s depiction of women, but if anything, The Woman is an example of what happens to women who DON’T stand up for themselves, it supports feminism. The character The Woman is completely seperate from society, she is the equal to that of a man, she is a wild animal, this is why her treatment of being restrained and “owned” by a man in the film is so jarring, and so wrong.

Other Honorable Mentions:

1. Final Destination 5
2. Attack the Block
3. The Caller
4. Retreat

 

December 20, 2011  Leave a comment