Jsyns’s Top 10 Horror Movie Picks Of 2008!

1) LET THE RIGHT ONE IN - For those who have seen it, the general consensus is that it’s the clear frontrunner. Simply put, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is a sublime, dark and beautiful film. Probably the most fascinating and unique portrayal of vampirism since Larry Fessenden’s HABIT. An absolute must-see.

2) [REC] - In a very close second, another foreign offering. (REC) starts disarmingly ho-hum but winds up ending on such a truly scary note it really just blew me away. No, I didn’t see QUARANTINE and frankly, I’m not going to bother because this one is that good.

3) ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE - Here’s one that many people didn’t get to see and it’s a shame. Of all the modern genre films that claim to be an “homage” to the slasher movies of the Eighties, this is the only one that actually nails it completely. See it ASAP!

4) THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN - An enjoyable, well-made horror film that did not deserve the shoddy theatrical release it got. It had a very “circa Nineties” vibe to it, which I really liked. I felt the last fifteen minutes could have been a bit more epic in scope, but otherwise MMT was one of the better Clive Barker adaptations. Look forward to it on DVD.

5) DIARY OF THE DEAD - This film ignites fierce debates by those who love it and those who hate it. Even my fellow IOF staffers are divided on it. Without reiterating too much, I stand by my opinion that it’s one of Romero’s best; a scathing commentary of the internet generation that just happens to have zombies in it.

6) MIRRORS - Director Alex Aja delivered an interesting, supernatural scare flick that seemed to be unjustly slammed without any real provocation. I really don’t know what some people were expecting, but it was a hell of a lot better than whatever roman-numeral franchise sequel is being passed off as a genre movie these days.

7) SPLINTER - Indie monster movie goodness!

THE WIZARD OF GORE - In my opinion, the most underrated genre film of the year. Writer/director Jeremy Kasten somehow reinterprets Herschell Gordon Lewis while channeling David Lynch and Chanwook Park.

9) MOTHER OF TEARS - Another entry by a legendary horror film maker that was met with mixed reviews. I’ve seen it a few times already and I really enjoy it. While there definitely were a few elements that are kind of cheeky, on the whole I can’t find anything about it that’s a total deal-breaker

10) SHIVER (ESKALFRIO) - Another genre-bending foreign film that leans more toward thriller than horror, with a very unique premise. I knew almost nothing about this before I watched it, and I think that’s the way to approach it.

JSYN’S HONORABLE MENTIONS:

FEAR(S) OF THE DARK: A really cool black and white animated horror anthology from France!

TIMECRIMES: More sci-fi thriller than horror (don’t let the marketing fool you), but a GREAT time travel film nonetheless. This one is definitely on my Top Films of 2008 list.
FRINGE: Only ten episodes in, and it’s one of the best sci-fi thriller TV series I’ve ever watched.

DEAD SPACE (PS3, XBOX360): Talking about the game folks, totally awesome 3rd person survival horror!
MY NAME IS BRUCE: Really funny self-deprecating comedy from our favorite curmudgeon. Thanks, Bruce!

HELLBOY 2: It’s not straight-up horror, but it needed to be mentioned thanks to the awesome creature FX work.