TOP TEN BEST HORROR FILMS OF 2014

2014 is finally over. And it's time to look back and review the best of the horror genre. There were only a small number of horror movies released last year. And some of them were just disappointments.
One good example would be Deliver Us from Evil starring Eric Bana. I was looking forward to see this film since it's directed by Scott Derrickson, the man who scared the hell out of me with his movie Sinister (2012) starring Ethan Hawke. But it turned out that after all the good promotions, it was just like any possession movie. Annabelle a prequel to James Wan's classic hit The Conjuring was also one of my most anticipated movies last year. Directed by John Leonetti, the film was loaded with cheap shock tactics but is short of genuine scares. Ouija, a movie based on the Hasbro board game, starring  Olivia Cooke and directed by Stiles White, seemed like an American rehash of a 2007 Filipino horror film with the same name. And the their story are also very similar! Then, just when you though there's nothing worse than this, there comes the sleep-inducing The Pact 2, directed by Dallas Richard Hallam and Patrick Horvath. I mean, really, I was almost dozing off by the time it's reached it's third act.
But there were films that were really awesome and terrifying. So here's my list of the Top 10 Best Horror Films of 2014.

10. Zombeavers. A trio of hot college girls went off country and stayed at a cabin beside a lake to spent some time and get a break from all their stress and heartache. Soon a swarm of ravenous zombie beavers (who were poisoned by some chemical waste that accidentally fell off the river) starts attacking them in this hilarious horror-comedy under the helm of Jordan Rubin.
Starring Rachel Melvin, Cortney Palm, Lexi Atkins, Hutch Dano, Jake Weary, and Peter Gilroy, this movie got all the goods one can expect from a B-movie.
Wild, funny, campy, gory and sexy, all at the same time.









9. As Above, So Below. A young alchemy scholar continues her late father's work by venturing into the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris to uncover an ancient mystery. As she and her group of explorers gets trapped in the underground, they are forced to go deeper to find a way out. Here they discover a horrifying secret that they never expected.

This film, directed by John Erick Dowdle and produced by Legendary Pictures, was one of the best in the found-footage genre released last year. Unlike others which were sleep-inducing, this one really kept me on the edge of my seat.
I have a fear of enclosed spaces, and this movie really creeped me out with it's claustrophobic settings. With the right amount of jump scares and dread all throughout the film, this is one of the year's best.




8. Horns. Loosely based on the Joe Hill's novel, the film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Ig Perrish, the most hated man in the town of Gideon. He is the suspect for the rape and murder of his girlfriend (played by Juno Temple). After waking up one day with a pair of horns sprouting in his temple, he discovers that he also gained powers to control someone into telling him their darkest secrets and lies. He uses this power to find out the truth about his girlfriend's death.
Featuring Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes remake, Piranha 3D) in the director's seat, this is more of a dark fantasy thriller, with an over-the-top gory finale that features a shotgun, an exploding head and a very large snake that forces it's way into Max Minghella's mouth. Sweet.



7. Housebound. This New Zealand horror-comedy flick written and directed by Gerard Johnstone is about a woman who is under house-arrest after her failed attempt at robbing an ATM machine. After she discovers that their house is haunted, she tries to unravel the mystery behind the hauntings, while keeping her temper with her crazy family.
Few horror-comedy really works. Some are too scary to be funny. Others are too funny to be scary.
But Housebound is a rare exception as there are really true laugh-out moments, blended seemingly with pieces of pure horror.







6. Paranormal Activity : The Marked Ones. A spin-off of the PA series, this film focuses on high-school graduate Jesse (played by Andrew Jacobs ) as he discovers his new-found superhuman abilities that he got after wandering inside the home of a witch in their area. As the film progresses, his friends realizes that Jesse is actually being possessed.
This is one of my favorite in the PA series. It's so fun to watch Jesse as he play around with his powers (which is how any normal teenager would do)
At the same time, I also liked the fact that they were able to blend the story of the film to the rest of the PA series.
There is also a sense of dread all throughout the movie, with some jump scares here and there so you will surely enjoy watching it.






5. The Quiet Ones. A film loosely based on the Philip experiment, a 1972 parapsychology experiment conducted in Toronto, the film stars Jarred Harris as a college professor trying to create a poltergeist. He invites one of his students, Brian (played by Sam Claflin) to take part in the experiment. Soon they come face to face with the evil that inhabits their subject's body.
Also starring Olivia Cooke as their test subject, this horror film makes use of it's 'old-school' setting in it's advantage. The vintage look of the film adds a feeling of menace in every scene, especially during the parts where Brian tries to film the unusual things that happen during their tests.
Produced by Hammer Films  (The Woman in Black), this is  one of the year's best chillers.







4. The Purge : Anarchy. A sequel to the home invasion hit of 2013, this movie gives audiences a large-scale view of the 'Purge', a special U.S holiday where all crimes are legal. Starring  Frank Grillo, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, Kiele Sanchez, Zoë Soul, and Michael K. Williams with Edwin Hodge reprising his role as Dwayne, the stranger, this sequel is far more action-packed than the first one. It also way more thrilling than it's predecessor because it's shows a city wide view of the 'Purge'.
It is also somehow features a more political view of the 'Purge' as it highlights the uneven treatment between the poor and the rich.
A lot of killings in just one night? That's sure to be a whole lot of fun!


3. The Guest. The Peterson family is still trying to recover from the death of their oldest son in the war. One day, another war veteran, David Collins (played by Dan Stevens) knocks at their door, presents himself as a friend of their son when he was still in alive and working in the military. He said he made a promise to their son that he will visit them to make sure they're okay.
The family lets hims stay with them for a few days and things start to look good for them (David helps their youngest son, Luke with his problems with the bullies at school; Mr. Peterson gets promoted into a higher position after the mysterious death of his boss- which David had killed ) until they discover the truth behind his identity.
A high-octane thriller with an edgy 80's style that gives it a retro atmosphere. Amazing soundtrack. Bravura performances, especially with Dan Stevens. Amazing direction from Adam Wingard. And an adrenaline-pumping chase inside a Halloween-themed maze at it's the finale.
This is one of the year's finest.
Yup. He's here to, err, help?


2. Oculus. Mike Flanagan's supernatural horror flick stars Karen Gillian as Kaylie, a woman trying to convinced his brother, Tim (played by Brenton Thwaits) that the death of their parents was caused by an evil force inside an antique mirror.
Although the story seems like a tried old rehash of other horror films, Flanagan was able to turn it into something that gives it a fresh appeal. With the feeling of dread and uneasiness flowing all throughout the movie's running time, the film is sure to satisfy genre fans.
It's editing (which cuts the present times with the flashbacks) are also unsettling. You feel lost within the characters in which is reality and which is not.
And watch out for the light bulb/ apple scene. It drove me nuts!

1. The Babadook. Australian director Jennifer Kent makes headlines with her debut feature, a  psychological horror film starring Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman as a mother and son who keeps on bickering with each other.
Samuel (Wiseman) is a troubled child who is raised by single mother Amelia (Davis) a widowed orderly.
She tries her best to keep her temper with her son as he starts displaying erratic behavior: he rarely sleeps through the night, and he is constantly preoccupied with an imaginary monster, which he has built weapons to fight with. He had to be taken out of school because of his behaviors.
But things starts to get worse for the two of them as The Babadook, a the creature from a pop-up storybook that mysteriously showed up on their shelf comes to life and torments them.
With it's disturbing images from the pop-up book, paired with a creepy children's rhyme ( "If it's a word, or it's a look. You can't get rid of the Babadook...dook...dook" ) viewers' imaginations will immediately get an idea of how the Babadook looks like.
I'm already creeped out just by imagining it...
The film takes it's time in building up the sense of terror and danger as day by day, things get way freakier and the Babadook comes into full form in their visions. I mean, this movie really scared the living daylights inside me. I had to stand up from my chair step away from the television screen while watching this on DVD at home. I just can't take it. I actually threw away my monobloc chair because of so much tension at one point.
With top-notch performances from Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman, and an excellent direction from Jennifer Kent, this is definitely the best horror film of 2014.

P.S. I actually suggested The Babadook to a good friend of mine and he told me that he wasn't able to sleep for almost three days after seeing it.



So there you have it. The Top 10 Best Horror Movies of 2014. I hope that this year, we'll have plenty of fresh, pure horror coming to satisfy our cravings. See you at the movies!