Best Slasher Movies

Edward Furlong! Seriously, I love that guy. He might be looking a little rough and pudgy, but that has nothing to do with his acting and his performance in Dark Reel. I still think he’s adorable, and he’s great in this movie.

Dark Reel is far from a masterpiece. The flaws are numerous, but let’s focus on the positives. The biggest positive for Dark Reel is definitely the killer. I had no idea who the killer was for most of the movie. I had my theories, but the use of the old red herring here was in full effect and used masterfully. The movie keeps you guessing from the very beginning. Nice work.

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Backwoods is nothing new. We’ve seen the plot in at least a dozen other – and better – movies, that this movie seems familiar at best and ripped-off at worst. There are some scenes that easily would’ve been at home in too many other movies to list here.

With that said, Backwoods isn’t  a bad movie once you get over it’s flaws – the biggest of which being the familiarity already mentioned. Even so, Backwoods has a lot going for it – it’s fast paced, suspenseful and manages to pull off that eerie out of place feeling that makes a slasher movie work. All told, this isn’t one of the best slasher movies I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the worst either.

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Australian horror is making a resurgence and Acolytes is at the head of the pack. There is nothing I didn’t like about this movie. It also serves as a prime example of why it’s so important to ignore IMDB reviews and discover a movie for yourself. I’ll leave my opinions on IMDB critics for another day, but basically, the negative reviews for Acolytes almost made me skip it, and that would’ve been a shame.

Acolytes starts out as a revenge tale – two boys are raped by a local bully and blackmail a serial killer to carry out their vendetta. It backfires on them and soon they find themselves battling for their own lives.

The suspense in Acolytes is intense and the jump scares are effective. The performances from the entire cast is above-par and although the movie is light on the gore, it doesn’t need it to be frightening. Very well done.

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Well folks – this one is hardcore. Martyrs is not for the faint of heart. It’s deeply, deeply disturbing and shocking in a time in film (particularly this genre) where little manages to surprise us. You are either going to love or hate it. There’s no middle ground. I loved it. I loved everything about it, but don’t look to this as a fun little gorefest because it’s anything but fun.

Martyrs is brutal and unrelenting. The true horror of this film is in the way gore and violence is so perfectly blended with horrific psychological terror. You feel so much for Lucie and Anna and you want them to be okay, but in the back of your mind, you know they’re not going to be – and you can’t help but wonder if you’re even going to be okay by the time the movie is done.

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Mutant Chronicles is based on a role playing game that I had admittedly never heard of before I saw the movie. I can see why fans of the game were disappointed as most of the key plot points in the game were completely changed for the movie. That said, I didn’t think the movie was half bad.

I’ll admit, the best thing about Mutant Chronicles is the look of the film. It’s dark and brooding with most of the set-pieces being CG. I have a soft spot for movies like that (Ex: Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow, Sin City) and I think they pull it off well here. The cast is great and their performances aren’t nearly as bad as many people would have you believe.

Overall, Mutant Chronicles is a fun movie to kill a little time with. Don’t expect brilliance and you won’t be disappointed.

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I missed this one the first time around and I really don’t know how. Midnight Meat Train is an incredible adaptation of another incredible Clive Barker short story.

The people that complain about Midnight Meat Train the most seem to be the ones who don’t like gore. That would pose a serious problem for anyone that watches this film as it is quite gory. There is a lot of blood shed on that creepy train but at the same time, I never felt it was over the top. It was necessary to really show the brutality of our killer (the always amazing Vinnie Jones).

One of the things I liked most about Midnight Meat Train was the setting. It was everything it needed to be. The pacing could be a tad slow at times, but that’s really the only complaint I had. Perhaps it would’ve worked better as a short story, but overall, an excellent movie with great performances by Bradley Cooper and Brooke Shields.

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The Lodger is billed as a remake, but I’m not entirely sure I would consider it that. The Lodger is more of a reimagining. The premise is the same as its predecessors, but it’s updated to have a more contemporary feel, and I think it worked well.

The acting is incredible and the story is believable, although some spots were a little questionable. All in all though, it’s an entertaining movie and it leaves you guessing.

The Lodger doesn’t really have that suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat vibe, but it does a great job of building mystery and really shows that the misdirect can be a great tool in cinema if used properly.

Is Jack the Ripper the mysterious lodger living in the garage? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out. Just pay attention or the ending will leave you a little confused.

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