The Year was 2011 and as far as Horror Movies, villains, heroes, breakthrough and veteran actors were concerned, we had a very few great ones that sparked a lot of controversy but we could only pick ten out of the bunch supported by your votes. Without further ado, we present to you the top ten horror movies of this past year.

 

X

 

 Final Destination V 

 

Why: Personally, the Final Destination installments are very fascinating. Where else would you see the North Bay Bridge aka the Golden Gate bridge becoming more of a death trap than a way to traverse above water from North Bay to San Francisco. Moreover, the kills were very raw, scary as hell, funny, innovative, and consistent with the storyline. Premonitions are like vivid dreams; the worst and most disconcerting feeling, I can imagine, one would have about dying is to watch their own death; and for someone to put that feeling on the big screen is both unsettling and widly entertaining. Great watch overall!

Actors: Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher

Tagline: "Death always wins. The Destination never ends" 

Director: Steven Quale

Deathly Designed+++***: Hell yeah!

 

IX 

The Thing (2011)

Why: The Thing is always going to remain one of the greatest Alien movies ever because the storyline is both as realistic and unimaginable as a flesh eating virus. The Prequel to this claustrophobic and paranoiac tale of a shapeshifting alien that overpowers a Norwegian Research team by assimilating each of them is likely to be one of the most watched horror movies of 2011. Well, not too sure about that. Nevertheless, I loved the storyline, I loved how it ended to complement the former movie from 1982, I loved the modern special effects, I also loved the actors, I thought they did a very good job overall. This Prequel truly made you feel that it was the beginning of The Thing.

Actors: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Eric Christian Olsen

Tagline: "It's not Human. Yet" 

Director: Matthijs Van Heijningen Jr 

Shapeshifting to the max+++***: Hell yeah!

VIII

Dream House (2011)

 Why: A la Shutter Island, this movie gave me the biggest mind-fuck. I live for movies such as these, they build you up for something completely and utterly different than what it's really about. It is truly a twisted tale. If you liked Shutter Island and The Amityville Horror movies, this movie will fit quite nicely in your collection of supernatural and psychological thrillers.

Actors: Rachel Weisz, Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts

Tagline: "Once Upon a time, there were two little girls living in a house" 

Director: Jim Sheridan

Mentally debilatating+++***: Hell yeah!

VII

Red State (2011)

Why: It's a story about morality or what one thinks is morally right, set in middle America, filmed as a documentary. Three male teenagers are lured into going to Cooper's Dell town for a night of debauchery. Once they arrived, they soon find out that their hosts had a very different agenda for them. You cannot easily pick and choose who you want the antagonists or the protagonists of this story to be because what's wrong in your eyes may be absolutely right in someone else's. 

Actors: Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman

Tagline: "Love thy Neighbor" 

Director: Kevin Smith

Unapologetically disturbing+++***: Hell yeah!

VI

Stake Land (2011)

Why: A young boy (Connor Paolo) is about to learn how cruel the world can become. Martin was a normal teenager before the country collapsed in an empty pit of disaster, and a vampire epidemic swept across the nation's abandoned towns and cities. It's up to Mister (Nick Damici) a death dealing, rogue vampire hunter, to get Martin to safety. Armed with a trunk full of wooden stakes and a desperate will to stay alive, Mister and Martin make their way through locked down towns, recruiting fellow travelers along the way. Among them are a devout nun (Kelly McGillis) and a pregnant teen (Danielle Harris).

Tagline: "The most dangerous thing is to be alive"

Actors: Connor Paolo, Nick Damici

Director: Jim Mickle

Brains and Blood+++***: Hell yeah!

 

V

Fright Night (2011)

Why: I know what I wrote primarily about this remake was tasteless and in some level quite revolting. As a fan of Fright Night, I truly felt that no sequel or remake can ever do the original Fright Night any justice. As a result, I pointed out only the negative points from the remake but watching it over again made me feel obligated to reverse my prior post about the performances, the special effects, the rehash plot, the modified versions of the old characters that essentially culminated into a very effective and fun filmed horror comedy with scenes and character developments that ultimately filled in a lot of blanks in the former movie. Fright Night is a pure blend of great character portrayals and one-liners that will be stuck with you for your remaining days as TBHMMANIACS!

Actors: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette

Tagline: "You can't run from evil when it lives next door" 

Director: Craig Gillepsie

Unapologetically vampiric+++***: Hell yeah!

IV

I Saw the Devil (2011)

Why: Korean horror could have never been anymore savage. I swear this movie is so visceral, so graphic that you will have to peek through your fingers at times. Get your head ready because what you see from this film will not leave your mind in one day. It's a revenge movie like "Irreversible" but way bloodier and way more demented. The story follows a serial killer who murders and rapes women without a conscience. Unfortunately for this perverted killer, one day he sexually ravages and ultimately kills the wrong girl. Because this woman's better half will not only track down her killer but he will also become even better at it than the psycho killer himself.

Tagline: Why do you look like you've just stepped into shit?!

Actors: Byung-Hun Lee, Gook-Hwan Jeon

Director: Ji-Woon Kim

Genre-Breaking: It depends!

 

 

III

Don't Be Afraid of The Dark (2011)

Why: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a remake of the 1973 film of the same name that starred Kim Darby. This new version is starring Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce and Bailee Madison and their performances were phenomenal. Note to self - that movie was so scaryyyy. I am not exaggerating when I say that movie scared the little girl out of me. Okay it started with Bailee's character playing the little misunderstood daughter who never had a chance in heaven to be normal in the eyes of her father but in the eyes of these little creatures she was a mickey dees happy meal served really spicy. Bailee portraying Sally Hirst was definitely spicy and feisty as she did not succumb to these little goblin-like creatures trap-a-child tactics without a fight. Although, she initially appeared as a lost timid child since she felt abandoned by her mother and a piece of work to her father, Sally could careless for friends of her own size, so she settled for anything that would accept her the way she was. She accepted to befriend these teeth and bone eating gremlins until they started to toy with her father's girlfriend clothes, basically they ripped Kim clothes to pieces as well as a teddy that Kim had given Sally as a welcoming gift. You should say they don't like Kim very much but honestly these creatures do not like anyone unless they are chewing on your bones, to them, that's absolutely delicioso! But who will be their next meal? Sally, the feisty misunderstood daughter, Kim the decorating girlfriend and possible mother figure to Sally as she became very fond and protective of Sally throughout the movie, or Alex, the fame-hungry father who could careless if Sally was having a tea party with a bunch of gremlins living in their basement who are also hell-bent on making a meal out of his daughter? Who will survive? You will be shocked to see what happens at the very last scene of this spooky movie remake which offered more thrills and more suspense that I had anticipated to watch. I highly recommend this movie to all.

Actors: Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison

Tagline: "Fear is Never just make believe" 

Director: Troy Nixey

Raw to the bone+++***: Hell yeah!

II

Paranormal Activity III (2011)

Why: Paranormal Activity into its third installment should have looked dull and unintelligent - wrong. It was fresh, raw with more in your face scares and new themes negate the additional buckets of blood to call it paranormal.

Actors: Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Christopher Nicholas Smith

Tagline: "It Runs in the Family" 

Directors: Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman

Actively unstable+++***: Hell yeah!

I

Insidious (2011)

Why: Insidious means to proceed in a gradual, subtle way but with harmful effects. A lot of people hated this movie which made me questioned why so many other people voted to get this movie to the number one spot on the list, then I watched the movie again to see what I actually missed in the first viewing and it dawned on me, the ending. As gut-wrenching it was, also explained everything there is to know about this family and complimented the title 'Insidious' without being too obvious. This strange state did not just overpower Dalton by an unfortunate reign of bad luck in the family, it happened because it has been preying on the paternal side of the family just waiting to pounce again on the weakly spirited. And even if years go by without getting its way, it remains subtle in the background. If you are expecting a Happily ever after ending, this movie is not for you as it will leave you so much more sour than sour creme and for some crazy reason I liked that very much.

Actors: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins

Tagline: "It's not the House that's Haunted" 

Director: James Wan

Familial Demons+++***: Hell yeah!

 

Some great mentions:

YellowBrickRoad (2011)

Why: One morning in 1940, an entire town of 572 people, disappeared in the wilderness, leaving behind their house, their clothes, their pets. Years later, a special task force uncovered the slaughtered bodies of 300 of the population deep into the woods and the remaining 272 people are left unaccounted for. What was in the woods that manipulated the townsfolks to abandon their town in the pursuit of such a macabre demise? Was it from the woods or was it from within? This movie requires your viewing if you are a true horror fan, I know there are a lot of people out there who hate this movie but I say to them watch it again without the pre-conceived expectations of fairness and goodness in people.

 

Tagline:  "They were searching for an evil in the forest...but the forest found the evil in them."

Actors: Cassidy Freeman, Anessa Ramsey

Director: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton

Purely Messed up+++***: Hell yeah!

 

Kidnapped (2011)

Why: A family of three just moved into their luxurious new home only to get it invaded on their first night in, by three viciously equipped hooded criminals who will push this family to the brink of emotional arrest and back so they can take everything to the last penny from them. This movie is worth your time because the emotions seems so real that you would feel victimized as well, the torture tactics the criminals used, may have been the go to techniques of most on screen burglars however some of them were genuinely intriguing. If you are afraid of your personal space being invaded don't go watch this movie.

Actors: Fernando Cayo, Manuela Velles, Ana Wagener

Tagline: "Take your last Breath" 

Director: Miguel Angel Vivas

Breaking and Entering OD+++***: Hell yeah!

 

Leave your comments TBHMMANIACS!