For me, horror on the big-screen this year did basically nothing for me. Sure there was a few, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like any of the big-budget horror flicks as I did enjoy a few. So here I bring to you my top ten horror films of 2011 in no particular order, which are my personal favorites this year.
10) I Spit on Your Grave - I Spit on Your Grave retells the horrific tale of writer Jennifer Hills, who takes a retreat from the city to a charming cabin in the woods to start on her next book. But Jennifer’s presence in the small town attracts the attention of a few morally deprived locals who set out one night to teach this city girl a lesson.
This one was released in the UK on January 21st of this year, unlike the States and i have to say, it actually surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. I went in wanting to hate it and came out fully appreciating that sometimes remakes can work.
9) Cold Fish - When Syamoto’s teenage daughter is caught stealing, a generous middle-aged man helps resolve the situation. The man and his wife offer to have Syamoto’s troublesome daughter work at their fish store. Syamoto soon discovers the horrific truth of the seemingly perfect couple.
Sion Sono has hit gold yet again and has hit all the marks, well for me at least. It was an awesome ride which I will enjoy for years to come.
#8) Little Deaths - Well-to-do home owners Richard and Victoria pose as religious do-gooders and lure homeless girls to their luxurious home. Apartment dwellers Claire and Pete invigorate their love life with a role-playing game with increasingly hazy boundaries. Jen and Frank, once prostitute and pimp, are now trying to make a go of things as an exclusive couple. Little Deaths are little games that sometimes lead to the big one.
As a sucker for anthology films this one sucked me right in, and it is a wonderful collection of twisted stories which deals with pain and pleasure.
7) The Woman - Chris Cleek (Sean Bridgers, Deadwood) is a small town court officer living a quiet, seemingly normal life in the heart of Maine with his beloved family. That is, until Chris discovers a feral woman roaming the woods and makes it the family’s project to civilise her. But as the family’s methods of forcing civility upon the woman become ever more extreme, the perverse bonds uniting them will be cast into violent relief.
A brutal film that yet again blew me away. The film has caused a slew of controversy when it played at film festivals prompting one audience member to make this statement; “The Woman should be burned and never seen again.” That statement actually made me hunt this one down.
6) Hobo With a Shotgun - A vigilante homeless man pulls into a new city and finds himself trapped in urban chaos, a city where crime rules and where the city’s crime boss reigns. Seeing an urban landscape filled with armed robbers, corrupt cops, abused prostitutes and even a pedophile Santa, the Hobo goes about bringing justice to the city the best way he knows how – with a 20-gauge shotgun. Mayhem ensues when he tries to make things better for the future generation. Street justice will indeed prevail.
During its run it has had its share of defectors. Either you love it or you hate me. Me? I freaking love Hobo With a Shotgun, all the way from its over-the-top violence to the somewhat surprising score. I fell in love instantly.
5) Bedevilled - Hae-won is a beautiful single woman in her thirties who works at a bank in the Seoul city. She leads a busy life until she becomes a witness to an attempted murder case, and at the same time, things get complicated at work. When things get out of hand she is forced to take a vacation so she heads for ‘Moodo’, a small undeveloped island, where she had once visited to see her grandparents. And where she had befriended a girl named Bok-nam who stills writes to Hae-won asking her to visit despite the fact that Hae-won never bothered to reply. Upon arriving at the island, Hae-won is shocked to see everyone treating Bok-nam like a slave.
Jang Cheol-soo’s Bedevilled is one film you need to check out if you haven’t already. If you loved I Saw the Devil, give this one a look. I thought it was badass. But that’s just my opinion.
4) Beware - The town of Shady Grove holds many dark secrets. Amongst them is the sadistic tale of “Shane”, a boy who was tortured and chained to a tree as a youngster. Legend has it that he wanders the woods in search of revenge. But no proof of his existence has ever been discovered… until now.
While not perfect, the film is still pretty damn killer. Jason Daly has given me everything I want from a slasher flick, a demented killer, boobs and buckets of the red stuff. It’s a fun popcorn flick.
3) Wound - WOUND is a Supernatural Horror Film that explores the dark worlds of mental illness, incest, revenge and death. We follow Tanya as she searches for the mother she has never met – a mother (Susan) who gave her up for dead after being abused by her own father who remains stuck in her present life.
Yet another controversial film has made my list. Wound is David Blyth’s return to the horro genre after several years absence and what a return. This of course will not be everyone’s cup of tea as it deals with mental illness and incest, which goes deeper than you might expect.
2) Rage - A thirty something man who lives in a suburb just outside of Portland says goodbye to his beautiful and loving wife and heads into town. There he unintentionally provokes the wrath of a mysterious motorcyclist. The confrontation between the two, sets in motion a day long battle. Beginning in the form of harmless taunts then quickly escalating into something more serious and then into something unimaginable.
Made on literally a shoe-string budget, Christopher R. Witherspoon has unleashed an utterly badass thriller in the vein of Steven Spielberg’s Duel. The film has been laying wast to the festival circuit and currently doesn’t have distribution, but keep your eyes peeled, this is one to keep your eye on. Just wait till the last act!
1) I Saw The Devil - I SAW THE DEVIL is a shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished tale of murder and revenge from Korean genre master KIM Jee-woon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird and A Tale of Two Sisters). Oldboy’s CHOI Min-sik plays Kyung-chul, a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. The embodiment of pure evil, he has committed horrifying and senselessly cruel serial murders on defenseless victims, successfully eluding capture by the police.
Revenge has never been so sweet! I Saw The Devil is not only in my top 10 of 2011, but I’m pretty sure it has a place in my top 20 of all time, it is that good. Kim Jee-Woon made me stand up and take notice, check it out if you haven’t already.
Now that you have read my list be sure to go and vote in our Community Vote for the Best Horror of 2011
Related posts:
- You Voted: 15 Best Horror Films of 2011 So Far
- Most Watched Horror Films, May 2011
- Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2011 Tickets & Films
HorrorMovies.ca
