Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Riske Business: My 10 Favorite Horror Movies of the 2000s

by Adam Riske
In case you were wondering…

Happy Scary Movie Month everyone! Here’s a list of my personal favorite horror films from the 2000s thus far. Keep in mind I’m not saying these are the best (because there is no objective best in this regard) and I’m sure your list will differ from mine. I want to know what your list is too! Leave a comment below and tell me your absolute favorites.

10. Drag Me to HellSam Raimi’s return to horror (after a respite which included For Love of the Game and the Spider-Man series) is a massive success delivering great gross-out gags, funny black comedy and a protagonist (played by Alison Lohman) who is sympathetic and relatable despite doing some really fucked up things. It plays like a classic morality tale, except the person being terrorized was never wrong in the first place. It’s a blast and one of the best PG-13 horror movies ever made.

9. You’re Next – The thing that’s so great about Adam Wingard’s You’re Next is how adeptly it shifts in tone while being successful at each one. Part Scream, part Die Hard, the movie is my favorite example of the “home invasion” sub-genre of horror (of which I’m not normally a fan). I love that the movie is equal parts scary and funny and has a kick ass heroine who’s allowed to fight back instead of being victimized.
8. Starry Eyes – It’s not often that a movie will scare me but the last act of Starry Eyes is among the most chilling and unforgiving in modern horror. That would all be well and good on its own but the film is also a really sad experience too and very well-observed about the struggling artist lifestyle in modern-day Los Angeles. It feels lived in and that grounded aspect makes the tragedy that much more real and powerful. Starry Eyes also features an amazing physical performance by its lead Alex Essoe.

7. The Woman – Talk about a movie going too far. At Patrick’s recommendation a few years ago, I saw The Woman in a mostly empty theater and sat aghast at how far the film was pushing the boundaries of good taste. It’s an amazing movie with unsettling performances, plot and tone. It feels dangerous in a way that few horror films do.

6. The Devil’s Rejects – I have always been blown away by The Devil’s Rejects, a film that is such a giant leap forward for director Rob Zombie that it made me a lifetime fan of his work. What’s so brilliant about The Devil’s Rejects is that he gives inner life to his murderers, making them even more chilling than when they were the cartoons from House of 1,000 Corpses. Plus, in a masterstroke, he gives us William Forsythe’s character as an audience conduit that flames our own bloodlust for exacting revenge against the despicable Firefly clan.
5. Bubba Ho-Tep – I didn’t “get” this movie the first time I saw it because I thought it was going to be another lark, a la Army of Darkness, but in subsequent viewings my love of this terrific horror-comedy has only grown. Featuring an unbelievable score by Brian Tyler, Bubba Ho-Tep is silly but also very sad and poignant with a genuine affection for its characters. When a movie about Elvis and JFK battling a mummy in a rest home ends up making you cry, you know you have caught lightning in a bottle.

4. Shaun of the DeadShaun of the Dead is possibly my favorite horror comedy (and zombie movie) of all-time. It’s funny in a way that is funny every time you watch it (because the humor is borne out of the characters and not the gags) with an amazing script and flawless direction by Edgar Wright. I love that the movie doubles as a story of how a schlub can really rise to the occasion when his back is against the wall. I feel a kindred spirit in Simon Pegg’s Shaun character in that regard. Revisiting this movie is like hanging out with an old friend.

3. May – When horror can also be heartbreaking then you know it’s something special. Angela Bettis gives my favorite horror performance of the 2000s in May (the second Lucky McKee movie to make my list) because she is so on the razor’s edge of not being a murderous psycho that it makes you root for her and pity her as much as fear her. It’s society’s unwillingness to emphasize with her twisted nature that finally tips her over the edge. The last shot of the movie is sad, weird and also comforting in its own sick way. This movie makes me very uncomfortable, but it’s essential to my horror fandom nevertheless. May is a brilliant film worthy of comparison to classics like Psycho and Frankenstein.
2. The Mist – Frank Darabont is a genius. The Mist is an improved version of Night of the Living Dead, in my humble opinion, portraying how quickly and exaggeratedly we (as a society) will claw after each other when the shit hits the fan. This movie makes me so damn nervous that I can only stand to watch it once every few years (e.g. Mrs. Carmody gets under my skin more than any other character in movie history). The Mist is also the bitterest reminder (maybe in movie history) of why you should never, ever give up on hope.

1. The House of the Devil – After Jaws and Carnival of Souls, The House of the Devil is my favorite horror film ever made. I relate so much with Jocelin Donahue’s lead character because she is brilliantly given about half the movie by director Ti West to define her character – her fears, her wants (which are SO SMALL, making this all the more tragic) etc., so that we care deeply about her character well before the supernatural elements present themselves. This movie cast a spell over me when I saw it in 2009 and I’ve revisited it probably twenty times since then. Movies like this are why I love horror in the first place.

21 comments:

  1. This is an excellent piece, Adam. These are all great flicks that any fan of horror should watch & you've done a superb job expressing why they work for YOU as they do. Personally, there's a couple you pointed out that now I'm fired up to watch again soon, so thanks!

    Well done!

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  2. I am so jazzed to finally get to May this month.

    Great selects!

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  3. That is a great, concise summation of what makes House Of The Devil so effective.
    I want to rewatch Drag Me To Hell every time I see it mentioned Lohman's performance is so good and amplified by the fact that she has disappeared from movies.

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    1. I kinda fell in love with Lohman in Big Fish. She needs to be in more movies.

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    2. She's really good in Matchstick Men too.

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  4. bubba ho-tep is coming out on blu-ray very soon, thanks to the good people at shout factory. can't wait

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  5. Man, I feel like I need to go back and watch the Mist. I was about 13 or 14 when I saw it so maybe I didn't give it an appropriate evaluation (my 13 year old self was pretty lame). I just remember loathing it so much and found that the characters acted so over the top, even when you take into account the situation. Great list though. I really need to check out the remaining films I haven't seen from here.

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    1. You may have heard this recommendation before but if you watch it again do the black & white version if you can. It's how Darabont intended it to be seen and not only does it add to that Night of the Living Dead feel, it also makes the CGI stuff much more believable.

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  6. I've only seen four movies from Adam's list, but they would all be on or near my own top 10 list. Thankfully, of the six I haven't seen, three are on my list for this month (including the top 2).

    My list would include (in no particular order) at least The Cabin in the Woods, It Follows, Housebound, Tucker and Dale vs Evil and Sauna.

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  7. I know the lists are subjective by nature but man i have trouble not seeing It Follows up there.

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    1. I appreciate a lot about It Follows but it leaves me a bit cold. Sorry bruh.

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    2. You should be. How dare your tastes not perfectly mirror mine?

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    3. Well we both like movies and that's swell.

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  8. This could pretty much be my Top 10 of the 2000s (about the only absences (for me) that jump to mind are The Descent and Martyrs). I've never seen Bubba Ho-Tep but this makes me want to even more.

    I think House of the Devil might be my favourite too - I mean, there are so many great movies that I love on this list, but of all of them it's the only one that just being reminded of it makes me want to watch it RIGHT NOW. And it's already the movie I've watched the most.

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  9. Great list! I know It Follows is my favorite. It just took me with so much force and awe that it was my favorite film from last year, period. I thought about it for the entire year. House of the Devil is definitely in my top 3. AND, I concur that You're Next is easily my fave home invasion.

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  10. I saw Bubba Ho-Tep just last year for the first time. I choose to not watch it on several occasions before, just because I found the title so silly and off putting.
    A what a wonderful surprise this movie finally was for every reason you mentioned. The least I expected was being brought to tears by it.

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  11. Do I need to see House of 1000 Corpses before seeing Devil's Rejects or does Rejects stand on its own?

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    1. You don't have to see House before Rejects (they recap the first movie sort of at the beginning of Rejects) but it probably will make Rejects better if you have the context of House of 1000 Corpses first.

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  12. House of the Devil is my favourite of the 21st century too! I think everything you said about how Ti West defines her character are why I find the sort of third act where it totally goes crazy so scary and so much fun, we're totally along for the ride with her at that point. Samantha is just one of my favourite characters in horror. Plus Tom Noonan is soooo creepy good in it.

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  13. Love seeing 'The Mist' on your list Adam. For me it was one of the best theater going experiences in the past decade as far as horror goes. I can remember not expecting much going in, my dad practically dragged me to the movie, but man was I glad he did. Blew away my expectations.

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  14. Awesome listicle, Adam! I went through a similar exercise this time last year and Shaun of the Dead, May, and The House of the Devil all made my list too. If I were to rework my list now, You're Next would definitely be on it too.

    My list from last year:

    1. The Descent
    2. I Saw The Devil
    3. Martyrs
    4. Shaun of the Dead
    5. May
    6. House of the Devil
    7. Inside
    8. Ginger Snaps
    9. Oldboy
    10. Cabin in the Woods

    Upon reflection, Inside definitely goes away and is replaced by You're Next. I haven't felt the need to go back and revisit Inside while I have rewatched You're Next frequently.

    It's questionable as to whether or not Oldboy should be classified as horror; I have definitely gone down the path of arguing that it IS but I can also see arguments made that it's more of a "thriller."

    I appreciate that you have movies like The Woman and The Devil's Rejects on your list - I have purposefully avoided The Woman because I think it's something that would probably make me feel icky but I love reading reviews from folks that "dare" to watch the movies that I just cannot. The Devil's Rejects is another one of those - I actually liked House of 1000 Corpses a lot because of its gore and spectacle, but the Devil's Rejects I just had to turn off because of how ugly and terrible the crew is (that's not an insult to the movie at all; just me knowing when I've reached a certain point of discomfort and have to turn a movie off).

    I really appreciate your shout out to Starry Eyes. After watching the recent Neon Demon, I've had the desire to return to Starry Eyes as the subject (fame, beauty) is somewhat similar but tackles it in such a different way. I think I'll have to return to it this month.

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