There really should be more good action horror movies. Dog Soldiers is an example of what can be done. Scottish soldiers on night exercises + werewolves = awesome. Do I really need to tell you anything else? I really enjoyed this movie and was happy to see the director go on to make The Descent. Unfortunately that was pretty much all old Neil Marshall had to offer, other than appearing as a talking head in many horror-related documentaries (well, Centurion was not bad). Maybe it’s not too late for Mr. Marshall? He has two upcoming movies at this moment, so let’s hope for the best.
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A man is crippled by an accident that also kills his wife. He is given a chip implant to restore his mobility. The chip also turns him into an involuntary fighting machine that helps him to get revenge. Upgrade is one hell of a fast paced, violent, gory, sci-fi action flick. It’s often funny too. This movie isn’t perfect, but it is an absolutely entertaining blast to experience.
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A man’s wife is in an insane asylum, so he gets a job there to try to help her escape. It figures that the oldest movie I love, and one of the weirdest, is from Japan. Leave it to The Land of the Rising Sun to be an early adopter of strange cinema, and to keep cranking it out for almost a century. This was made one year before the first movie with sound, and three years before Un Chien Andalou was released. You’d think that Japanese audiences would have been utterly baffled by this film, but supposedly it was a hit. There’s a ton of unusual imagery, including many beautiful superimposed images and other innovative tricks to replicate hallucinations. The film also features some deep concepts that are expressed without a word. A Page of Madness is simply a work of art that demands to be seen by any fan of Anomalous Cinema.
I’ve desperately hunted for another ‘20s film to recommend on this site. There are several very good movies from this era, but all of them have dull dramatic parts, or other flaws which make them ineligible. Yeah, I know, I know, Un Chien Andaloubut it’s a short, and every art school kid has already forced it under your nose. Unfortunately many silent movies are now lost, there was probably a real mind-blower among them. I truly hope that some weird masterpiece is available that I’ve missed. Here are some 1920s movies, a few rather obvious, that are definitely worth your time if you watch them with patience: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Destiny (1922), Faust (1926), The Hands of Orlac (1928), Häxan (1929), The Man Who Laughs (1928), Metropolis (1927), and The Phantom of theOpera (1925).
Available on Blu-ray from Flicker Alley (search eBay), but the quality seems a little dubious.
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This is a very good crime thriller based on the real life murder of 13 year old Daniel Morcombe in Australia. A cop goes undercover to try to lure the possible killer into confessing. The Stranger is extremely dark and every shot looks beautiful, but the highlight is Sean Harris’ performance as the murder suspect. You also get to see some creepy nightmare sequences that struck me as particularly well crafted. This film is not very bloody, also on the slow and long side, but I feel it’s well worth your time in spite of those minor issues.
Not available on Blu-ray.
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This is the original movie version of Stephen King’s 1980 novella. I skipped the recent TV series because of the poor ratings. What we have here is neither the best, nor the worst King adaptation. I’d rate The Mist above average among those films. Why the hell am I recommending this? Well, it is creepy as hell if you don’t know what is going on in the plot. At least that was my experience when first seeing the movie. I took a look recently, and it still looked good, in spite of some slightly dated CG. Bottom line, if you missed this one and haven’t read the book, there’s a decent chance you’ll enjoy it.
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South Korean horror / thrillers can be a little hit or miss considering how many have been released in the last 20 years. The Wailing is a hit my friends. This is shot beautifully, is fast-paced, and seriously scary. It even manages to be funny at times. My only minor issue with the film is it might be a tad bit long. However if you’re new to dark SK movies, this is definitely not a bad one to start with.
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The Raid: Redemption (2011) is a very good film. If you’re a hardcore action / martial arts fan you know that already. However, for the rest of you, I say skip it and watch this superior sequel. The Raid 2 has got a convoluted plot, but you’ll too be too distracted by the non-stop ass kicking to care. This is probably the pinnacle of crazy post-Ong-Bak action films. If you enjoy this, make sure to check out creator Gareth Evans’ excellent TV series Gangs of London.
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A gun for hire is sent to find the last Tasmanian Tiger. I love Willem Dafoe, and this is one of the better films where he is the lead actor. This is beautifully shot in unbelievable Tasmanian locations, very well cast, and has a great melancholy feel throughout. There’s a tiny bit of CG that does not look great, but the movie is so good it doesn’t matter. I still give The Hunter a perfect score.
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This is my favorite Christmas horror movie. Yes, the original Black Christmas and Silent Night Deadly Night are great, but this one is just so much more twisted and fun. Christmas Evil is also built on intentional humor that works, and features an absolutely unforgettable ending. You might just spill your eggnog.
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A group of women go on a cave expedition and run into some particularly freaky monsters. This was Neil Marshall’s follow up to the excellent Dog Soldiers (2002). Sadly it looks like his career didn’t continue on its upward trajectory, but I truly enjoyed this film. It’s all handled very well, and with a great attention to detail. This is an intense, quality horror film, that has withstood the test of time.
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