The 10 Best Horror Movies of 2019
2019 was a good year for horror fans. There were plenty of enjoyable horror films and some outstanding ones too. The currently working talents (Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers) had their opportunity to prove their knowledge and professionalism and fortunately we didn’t have to be disappointed.
Unfortunately, the genre didn’t come up with really remarkable new entrants this year. Nonetheless if we looks at indie films, one can always find new, promising filmmakers and that was true in 2019 as well (Lee Cronin, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett).
There were arthouse films, Stephen King adaptations, simple but fun flicks with much gore, and lighter, mainstream thrills as well. In this list we have collected what we think are the 10 best horrors of 2019.
10. The Golden Glove
The story is about the famous German serial killer Fritz Honka (Jonas Dassler) who murdered four women with extreme brutality and hid their body parts in his apartment. The title of the film refers to the pub in Hamburg where Honka often spent his time along with many other alcoholics. There is no question that Fatih Akin’s film is one of the most disgusting and repulsive films ever made. It’s no coincidence that the audience and the critics reacted so divisively to the film and it became a scandalous movie. However, the film presents Honka’s character in frightening detail, his environment in the bar and his apartment stinking from corpses. We can also get a glimpse into the German spirit of the 70s. It’s not a classic horror, but it perfectly shows how a fundamentally sick person can do gruesome and disturbing things under the influence of a little alcohol.
9. Ready or Not
Grace (Samara Weaving) is an average woman who wants to live in a happy family with her new husband. This simple desire is made quite difficult by the rest of the family when the bride is invited to an unusual game after the wedding. What awaits us is lot of blood, guts, f***ing rich people, black humor and a fantastic Samara Weaving who is not afraid to fight back against her attackers in this sick hide and seek game. The end of the film is one of the funniest and most memorable endings we’ve seen in a long time. We’re excited about the directors’ Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s next film, Scream 5.
8. The Hole in the Ground
Sarah (Seána Kerslake) and her little son, Chris (James Quinn Markey) move to an Irish countryside right next to a forest. The mother becomes aware of more and more inexplicable events and begins to suspect that her son may not be her son at all. At the same time, a sinkhole begins to form in the woods, which may be related to the boy. The greatest strength of the film is the incredibly depressing, dark atmosphere and the feeling of uncertainty that comes from the story, which remains with us long after the credits. Lee Cronin’s film premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
7. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
On Halloween in 1968, a couple of kids in a deserted house find a book full of scary stories that are not advisable to read. The film is based on Alvin Schwartz’s children’s horror book of the same title, adapted by Guillermo del Toro and André Øvredal to the big screen. The film is well directed, the production design is impeccable and the performances of the child actors are also very convincing. The book caused sleepless nights for many young children and the film upheld the tradition. At the same time, the film is not an R rated shocking horror, but a PG-13 ghost story targeting younger audiences. So it’s the perfect Halloween pastime for those who wants goosebumps but don’t want to be traumatized.
6. Pet Sematary
The basic story of the new adaptation of one of Stephen King’s most famous novel has not changed. Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) is moving to Maine with his wife (Amy Seimetz), two children and their cat named Church. They soon find a cemetery reserved for pets not far from their house. Shortly afterwards, the family cat dies in an accident and, on the advice of their neighbor, Judd (John Lithgow), the animal is not buried in the animal cemetery, but in the ancient Indian cemetery not far away. And from here the family’s life changes radically. One of the book’s most shocking moments has been changed by the writers, which can alienate fans of the book, but if we go beyond that, we can get a terribly powerful horror that is among the best King adaptations. This version directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer cleverly changes the material and presents the basic theme of the story, mourning and death — in a powerful way.
5. Crawl
After almost ten years, Alexandre Aja returned to the world of horror with a B slasher movie with alligators. The film was supported by the horror mastermind Sam Raimi as a producer. The story is simple: a young girl tries to rescue her injured father from the basement of their house while a hurricane roars outside. A few alligators lurk nearby and are looking to taste a few survivors. After the debut of Spielberg’s Jaws, the world of film became filled with lousy animal horrors. Crawl, however, upheld the standard and became one the most memorable films in its sub-genre. Short, intense and bloody. One of the most entertaining movies of 2019. It’s no coincidence that last year it was Quentin Tarantino’s favourite film.
4. The Lodge
The plot is about a soon-to-be stepmother, Grace (Riley Keough) who is stuck in a rural lodge with her partner’s two children at Christmas, isolated from the outside world. More and more creepy things happen to the residents of the lodge, while the audience is introduced to the Grace’s dark past. In their previous film, Goodnight Moomy, Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz proved that they have a great understanding of psychological horror and can show physical and mental torture, feelings of distrust and fear of isolation in an amazingly effective way, and this is also true for this film. All the actors are outstanding, but I’d like to highlight Riley Keough in the lead role, who gives the strongest performance of her career.
3. Us
In 2017 the famous comedian, Jordan Peele’s first (horror) film, Get Out was the year’s absolute surprise. The film dealt with the theme of racism in a very mature, but funny and scary way, became a success among the critics and audience and even won an Oscar for best original screenplay. Then, of course, there was a big hype around Peele’s next film and fortunately we were able to see an unforgettable nightmare again. The plot is about an African American family who is forced to face their distorted, creepy doublegangers on their vacation. On the surface, it’s just a weird but fun horror, with both humorous and scary scenes that are faithful to Peele’s style. However if one digs deeper, the film offers many more layers to explore. It’s a great satire that puts the American identity in the spotlight. The film’s values are further enhanced by Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar-worthy performance in the dual role and Michael Abels’ fantastic soundtrack, which flawlessly underscores the scenes.
2. Midsommar
In 2018 Ari Aster gave one of the best and most shocking films of the year to the audience with Hereditary. And a year later he shot his new movie in Hungary about a Swedish cult which drew a lot from Wicker Man. The story follows Dani (Florence Pugh) and her friends who travel to Sweden to participate and observe a rare summer festival that occurs once every 90 years. The plot is very unhurried, but that’s where its power lies. Aster slowly but cruelly leads us to the inevitable finale. Within the framework of a cult horror, the film presents a story of a breakup and in the end we can also recognize a story of revenge. Clearly Florence Pugh is the star of the film, but the other actors are also great in their characters. Will Poulter’s character provides the few humorous scenes from the film that alleviate a bit of the choking atmosphere. Another merit of the film is that it hardly has a scene set in the dark, yet it keeps the viewer in anxiety till the end, which is reinforced by Bobby Krlic’s beautiful score.
1. The Lighthouse
Robert Eggers with his first movie (The VVitch: A New-England Folktale) has already proven his place among the best horror directors of all time, but with The Lighthouse he managed to further consolidate his status on this front and make an even more complex and better film. Lighthouse keepers Ephraim (Robert Pattinson) and Thomas (Willem Dafoe) move to an island in New England for four weeks to keep the lighthouse there in order, but the two men are increasingly losing their sanity. The Lighthouse inherited the folklore tale characteristic of the Witch, only here the focus is not on a witch tale, but on Greek mythology and sailor legends mixed with a little Lovecraftian atmosphere. Already with black and white, 35mm frames and the 1.19: 1 aspect ratio the film can strike an amazingly stylish and unusual atmosphere that makes the viewer feel as if they’re watching a 1920s movie, but this is further enhanced by the fantastic cinematography (Jarin Blaschke deserved an Oscar nomination very much), creepy music and a genius performance of Dafoe and Pattinson (shame they weren’t even nominated). The story of the film is ambiguous and difficult to decode, but it offers the viewer plenty of room for interpretation. It’s a perfect motion picture that is not only one of the best of the year, but of the decade. And of course we are looking forward to Eggers’ The Northman with tremendous enthusiasm.
