Here they are, the top ten horror movies of 2012 as compiled by FilmFracture’s own horror aficionado, James Jay Edwards.
10. The Road: This eerie ghost story from the Philippines epitomizes foreign horror – it’s atmospheric, spooky and downright scary.
9. It’s in the Blood: A monster movie that is about more than just monsters. Coming in under the radar, this little indie unfolds slowly and deliberately and packs a big punch.
8. The Bay: Just when it seemed that the faux-documentary craze was as dead as a beaten horse, this little gem popped up and restored my faith in the genre. Unsettling in a very real way.
7. Compliance: Not really a horror film in the traditional sense, but I’m including it because it is easily as disturbing as any other film on this list, and its images and ideas stayed with me for months afterwards. Like a roller coaster that you can’t get off, it makes you wonder how far it will go.
6. The Theatre Bizarre: I’m a sucker for anthology horror films, and this one is great. The shorts range from splatter exploitation to deep and introspective, but all are well done and thought provoking.
5. Sinister: The only word for Sinister is creepy. A new twist on the found footage film, I was squirming in my seat for much of this movie. Even forgiving the cheap red-herring scares, this film is frightening.
4. Prometheus: The most polarizing movie that I can remember in a long time – everyone either loves it or hates it. It’s more Alien than Aliens; those expecting a James Cameron action film are disappointed. People who understand that it is a Ridley Scott film are rewarded with a very philosophically frightening picture.
3. Father’s Day: This is Troma at its finest – all the blood, guts, gore and sex…oh, yeah, and a pretty cool little story binding the whole thing together. An exploitation film that doesn’t feel like one.
2. The Woman in Black – The first film in a long time to actually give me chills. It also proved that there is life after Harry Potter for Daniel Radcliffe.
1. The Cabin in the Woods – The most inventive horror movie to come along in years. Equally as funny as it is scary, it takes all of the typical conventions of the genre, uses them, and throws them out the window.
That does it for the best of the best horror movies for 2012. Happy New Year!