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00’s Retrospect: Bloody Disgusting’s Top 20 Films of the Decade…Part 2

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Best Horror Films

In this continuation of Bloody-Disgusting’s Top 20 of the 2000s countdown, the list has a decidedly international flavor due to the fact that 4 of the 5 films are of the foreign language variety. Fitting, considering that in the last decade the horror renaissance got a big helping hand from overseas, from the raft of J-Horror imports to the infusion of extreme, splatter-centric horror by way of France. Just goes to show that no matter what language you speak, fear is universal.

Also read: 00’s Retrospect: Dead on Arrival — Ten Horror Duds of the Last Decade

The last ten years have been a wild ride for horror fans. Thanks to countless innovators and a host of amazing films, it can safely be said that the 2000’s trump the 1990’s by a wide margin. Sure, that decade had groundbreakers like Scream and The Blair Witch Project, but that’s nothing compared to the number of great horror films (and, for that matter, the number of total horror films) that this decade has had to offer. To celebrate, the staff of Bloody-Disgusting decided to take a vote on the Top 20 horror films* of the 2000’s (along with one honorable mention), and the below list is the result. Looking over it, it’s actually pretty telling that nearly half the movies (9 out of 21) were produced on foreign soil, which just goes to show that this decade in horror was as much about the range of impressive imports as it was about the American product. Your favorites aren’t on there? Cry us a river. Or better yet, let us know what we missed. And make sure, at some point before the New Year, to get on your knees, clasp your hands together and pray to the horror gods to make the next decade as good as the last. – Chris Eggertsen

21-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1


15. Battle Royale (Tartan; 2000 Japan)


No wonder this is Quentin Tarantino’s favorite film of the last ten years. Like his best movies, it’s a go-for-broke extravaganza: fun, provocative, ultra-violent, and bound to arouse controversy (which it did). It’s a pretty simple idea: a class of forty-odd young Japanese teenagers are thrust into a deadly game on a deserted island in which they must fight each other to the death until only one is left standing. If they fail at this, the collars fixed to the survivors’ necks will explode. What follows is a breathless chain of events as each individual reacts in his/her own way: some instantly become ruthless killers; others commit suicide; a few strike up allegiances in hopes that they can find a way off the island. It’s this quality that makes the film more than just an empty provocation – it builds character through action, a method all good filmmakers should seek to emulate.


14. Audition (Lionsgate; 2000 Japan)


Considered by many to be Takashi Miike’s masterpiece, this cringe-inducing, seriously disturbed film boasts one of the most unbearable scenes of torture in movie history. The story introduces us to a lonely widower whose producer friend sets up a fake movie audition for several young ingénues in hopes of finding him a wife. Unfortunately for the widower, the mild-mannered young woman he chooses isn’t exactly all she appears to be. The audience soon becomes aware of her not-insignificant dysfunctional tendencies in a series of shocking scenes, one of which just might make you lose your lunch (which, come to think of it, would be actually be a pretty fitting response). It’s revolting in the best possible way; the prolific Miike goes for the jugular here, and he cuts deep. Or, as the sadistic femme fatale of the film might say, “Kiri Kiri Kiri Kiri!”


13. Drag Me To Hell (Universal Pictures; May 29, 2009)


Sam Raimi’s return to gross-out form is a fun romp that’s by turns hilarious, gag-reflex-inducing and unsettling. Alison Lohman plays a young loan officer who has a curse put on her by an old gypsy woman after turning down an extension on her mortgage. Soon enough the demons from down below slowly begin to circle, and her efforts to countermand the curse become more and more desperate as the ticking clock winds down. Raimi is a master at this sort of thing, and much like in the Evil Dead films (particularly the second movie) he manages to keep us simultaneously laughing and screaming as we are treated to a series of increasingly inventive and maniacal set pieces. This is escapist entertainment at its best, and it almost makes you want to forgive Raimi for Spiderman 3. Almost.


12. Inside (Dimension Extreme; April 15, 2008)


One of the most audacious, brutal, unrelenting horror films ever made, Inside is perhaps the crown jewel of the new wave of extreme French horror films that have gained notoriety in the latter half of the decade. The movie follows a pregnant widow through a night of almost unbelievable pain and misery, as she is stalked by a scissors-wielding crazy woman who is convinced the baby is actually hers. Directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury handle the gory elements of the story with aplomb, but what really makes Inside so queasily effective is their skill at wringing the maximum amount of suspense out of the hair-raising setup. As if that weren’t enough, they even manage to work some pitch-black comedy into the mix. A shocking piece of cinema which provides further evidence that the French aren’t such pussies after all.


11. [REC] (Sony Pictures; 2007 Spain)


Out of all the “shaky-cam” films produced in the wake of The Blair Witch Project, this one is arguably the best, a seriously scary Spanish import that utilizes its P.O.V. camerawork more effectively than any of its predecessors. While the film takes awhile to get going, once the action starts it hardly ever lets up. The movie follows a TV news camera crew, police officers, firefighters and the residents of an apartment building as they fight for survival against a zombie outbreak after being sealed inside the structure in a quarantine procedure. The limited first-person viewpoint suits the enclosed setting well; it’s not necessarily what we’re seeing in front of us but what could be coming at us from just off-camera that’s most terrifying. There’s nothing all that deep here, but that’s not really the point. When it comes to visceral scares, [REC] has few peers.

Editorial written by Chris Eggertsen


21-16 | 15-11 | 10-6 | 5-1

*Editor’s Note: For those of you interested in knowing how the list came to be, here’s an explanation. Bloody Disgusting writers collaborated on a list of some of the best films this decade. The entire list was given to the Bloody Disgusting staff who then built their own Top 20 lists. Each film was given a point value. 20 received 1 point, 19 received 2 points, and so on all the way to number 1, which received 20 points. The numbers were tallied and the result are the top films listed. The bonus film had tied with #20 and the tie was broken by the number of actual votes.

The following participated in the project: Mr. Disgusting, Tex Massacre, BC, David Harley, Ryan Daley, Chris Eggertsen, Jeff Otto, John Marrone, Horror_Guy, Mr_Bungle, Klown, Caustic Coffee and Tool Shed

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Editorials

5 Deep Cut Horror Movies to Seek Out in April 2024

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horror
Pictured: 'The Uncanny'

New month, new horror recommendations from Deep Cuts Rising. This installment features selections reflecting the month of April 2024.

Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.

This month’s offerings include telepathic plants, ecological horrors, and a lot of killer cats.


The Uncanny (1977)

horror

Pictured: The Uncanny (1977)

Directed by Denis Héroux.

The Uncanny is a two-for kind of deal: it works for both National Pet Day (April 11) and Tell a Story Day (April 27). Here we have Peter Cushing‘s character talking at length about the evils of cats, with his three examples fleshing out this singular anthology. And while this film is often mistaken for an Amicus production, it was, in fact, made by The Rank Organisation. However, Amicus co-founder Milton Subotsky was also a co-producer.

The Uncanny has a tendency to be one-note in its execution and story styles; vengeful felines come up more than once in the film. Even so, these macabre, cat-centric segments told in EC Comics fashion are more entertaining than not.

Watch The Uncanny at streaming sites such as SCREAMBOX.


The Kirlian Witness (1979)

horror

Pictured: The Kirlian Witness (1979)

Directed by Jonathan Sarno.

The Kirlian Witness (also known as The Plants are Watching) fits the bill when looking for something to watch on International Plant Appreciation Day (April 13). Similar to Eyes of Laura Mars, this film’s story is built on pseudoscience. More specifically, Kirlian photography. Nancy Snyder‘s character Rilla hopes to use this technique — revealing the energy field, or aura, of people and other animate things — to solve her sister’s murder. However, the only witness to the sister’s death, apart from the mysterious killer, is a plant. Rilla’s bizarre investigation eventually leads her to a startling discovery.

Jonathan Sarno’s film is a certified slow-burn, but it’s also intriguing and good-looking. This oddball of crime-solving horror is, at the very least, unique.

The Kirlian Witness is available for rental/purchase (under its alias) at digital retailers like Apple TV.


Scream for Help (1984)

horror

Pictured: Scream for Help (1984)

Directed by Michael Winner.

For Scream Day this year (April 24), why not visit Scream for Help? In this teenage thriller filtered through Death Wish, a Nancy Drew type suspects her stepfather is up to no good. And when her suspicions are proven right, she and her mother have to fight for their lives.

Scream for Help had the makings of a standard ’80s teen-slasher, but this turned out to be more like an “afterschool special meets home invasion” flick. And a hilarious one at that. It was likely not Michael Winner’s intention for this film to be so laugh-a-minute — star Lolita Lorre, bless her heart, has the funniest deliveries — however, trying to keep a straight face during his cinematic hot mess is impossible. Tom Holland‘s script was straight up murdered. Still and all, this is an entertaining disasterpiece that would have been an entirely different film had the original director, Richard Franklin, stayed on (rather than going off to direct Link).

The HD restoration of Scream for Help is available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, but the digital version is standard-def.


Penumbra (2012)

Pictured: Penumbra (2012)

Directed by Ramiro García Bogliano & Adrián García Bogliano.

While it’s advised not to stare at the sun during the solar eclipse on April 8, fans of satirical horror are encouraged to give Penumbra, an Argentinian-Mexican film featuring an imminent solar eclipse, a watch. The unsubtle artwork suggests a straightforward survival story, however, the actual product is quite different and twisty. Cristina Brondo plays a prickly businesswoman who may have made her last sale; her new client has ulterior motives.

Surely some viewers will be put off by the protagonist of Penumbra, whose behavior in anticipation of the ominous eclipse is problematic. Yet, strangely enough, her being an imperfect victim adds something to the film, whereas a more pristine character would have made the whole experience less gripping.

Penumbra is currently available on AMC+.


Strange Nature (2018)

Pictured: Strange Nature (2018)

Directed by James Ojala.

For a less known eco-horror film to watch this Earth Day (April 22), Strange Nature tells its story with both urgency and force. Here, the late Lisa Sheridan (of FreakyLinks) played a struggling single mother looking into a local anomaly: mutated frogs. Soon enough, the cause of this abnormality extends beyond the water and creates other threats for the town’s human residents.

This truly indie production has its obvious limitations, yet the story — one based on a real life incident in Minnesota — and characters compensate for any visual flaws. The practical effects for the mutant beast are also admirable, given the meager resources available.

Strange Nature is currently streaming on Tubi.


No genre is as prolific as horror, so it’s understandable that movies fall through the cracks all the time. That is where this recurring column, Deep Cuts Rising, comes in. Each installment of this series will spotlight several unsung or obscure movies from the past — some from way back when, and others from not so long ago — that could use more attention.

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