Movies, Films and Flix Horror Special: 25 Favorite Horror Films Released Since 2000
If you’ve followed Movies, Films and Flix for a while you know that we love horror movies, ranked lists, and movie math. It’s been a while since I released an epic horror list so I recruited 21 MFF website and podcast contributors (who love horror cinema) to submit a ranked list of their 25 favorite horror films released since 2000. I then created a point system (the #1 movie gets 25 points, and the 25th gets one point) and added them all together to create a super list. Putting this post together has been a lot of fun because I genuinely didn’t know which films would be included and what the overall #1 film would be. The lead changed many times and it was thrilling when a new list arrived that shook up the rankings and maybe pushed a film out of the top 25. Overall, I’m really proud of this list (Green Room could be higher ranked though) and I think it showcases a wide range of horror cinema released since 2000. After reading the list, make sure to send me your picks.
The following list was written by myself (Mark) and fellow horror lover (and frequent MFF podcast guest) Zanandi Botes.
25. Drag Me to Hell
The Sam Raimi directed Drag Me to Hell is one of the most entertaining horror films of the 21st century and it features the greatest fight inside a parking structure ever put to film. Raimi’s film feels refreshingly alive and tells the story of a woman named Christine (Alison Lohman is perfect in the role) trying to prevent a curse from dragging her to hell. The plot is simple, but the shenanigans aren’t as Raimi gleefully torments his doomed character for 90 minutes as she deals with terrible dinners, cat sacrifice, failed séances, dishonest coworkers, grave digging, and funeral appearances that go horribly awry. It’s easily one of the most entertaining horror films released since 2000 and it’s nice knowing that it made the top 25 – because it belongs in the list.
24. Doctor Sleep (2019)
Who would’ve thought that it would ever be possible to make a darn good sequel of The Shining and, at the same time, keep both Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick fans happy? Enter Mike Flanagan, probably the best filmmaker to adapt King’s fiction right now and a storyteller who can get to the root of a tale and run with it. It’s a killer sequel that looks great, features an incredible cast and has some wonderful nods to Kubrick and the original. Folks may have slept on it at the box office, but it’s since received the praise and following it so rightly deserves.
23. Frailty
Released in 2001, the Bill Paxton directed Frailty didn’t have a long run at the box office, however it lingered in the memories of those who watched Paxton’s tale about a widowed father or two who believes God has given him the power to kill demons (in the form of humans). The atmospheric film featuring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton and Powers Boothe feels like an old school mood piece that relies on close-ups, shadowy sets, and two iconic axe shots to tell its story. It’s an earnest and theatrical experience that works its way under your skin and stays there. What’s interesting is that it isn’t a gory experience and instead creates dread by making you question whether the man simply named “Dad” has gone insane or really had the ability to kill demons. In Roger Ebert’s four-star review, he sums up the movie perfectly.
“Perhaps only a first-time director, an actor who does not depend on directing for his next job, would have had the nerve to make this movie. It is uncompromised. It follows its logic right down into hell. We love movies that play and toy with the supernatural, but are we prepared for one that is an unblinking look at where the logic of the true believer can lead? There was just a glimpse of this mentality on the day after 9/11, when certain TV preachers described it as God’s punishment for our sins, before backpedaling when they found such frankness eroded their popularity base.”
22. Barbarian (2022)
Horror fans were practically giddy following the release of Zach Cregger’s solo directorial debut, and with good reason. The plot of this comedy horror (albeit way more horror) slowly unspools and takes audiences to wild and, at times, hilarious places. Barbarian felt like a breath of fresh air as it took inspiration from the greats while still feeling wholly original. If you haven’t seen it yet, go in blind. We promise, it’s worth it.
21. Let the Right One In
Released in 2008, this Swedish vampire tale directed by Tomas Alfredson is a blood-soaked beauty about a young boy named Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) befriending his new neighbor Eil (Lina Leandersson), an ancient vampire who was turned into a vampire at the age of 12. The two form a bond (Oskar is lonely, and Eil needs a new employee) that leads to tragedy and a swimming pool massacre that showcases the awesome strength of the tiny vampire. Powered by Hoyte Van Hoytema’s (Nope, Oppenheimer, Her, Interstellar) gorgeous cinematography and several brutal and bloody scenes involving Eli’s regular (AKA human caretaker) Håkan (Per Ragnar) attempting to gather blood for his vampire boss, Let the Right One might be one of the most beautifully grim horror films ever made.
20. Mandy
Mandy is so much more than a “Nic Cage freaking out” movie, and I love that it’s become a cult classic that is celebrated by loving fans who love every blood spurt that sprays in Nic Cage’s face. It can best be described as a thrilling experience that bombards your senses with bright colors, loud noises and ultra-violence, that will either make you cheer or cringe. Director Panos Cosmatos has created a movie that feels familiar with its Mad Max, Giallo and Clive Barker/Nicolas Winding Refn vibes, and totally alien with its fever dream cinematography, heavy metal score and dedication to anarchy. I love how Cosmatos found a way to combine the grindhouse aesthetic (lots of blood and heightened performances) with an unconventional arthouse style that will alienate the masses and gain a very loyal audience who embrace how niche Mandy is.
19. The Babadook
Jennifer Kent’s 2014 psychological horror film The Babadook is a marvel of a film that introduced the world to a memorable new monster while expertly tackling themes of grief, depression, and repressed trauma. The performances from Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman are top-notch and it never gets old watching Davis juggle about 300 different emotions (while repressing many). The world is currently in a neat horror renaissance and The Babadook helped lead the way by showcasing that horror films can be scary and carry an emotional weight while tackling real-world issues. The partially crowd-funded Australian horror film’s legacy keeps growing as it recently received a theatrical re-release for its 10th anniversary and constantly appears on 21st century “best of” horror lists (Like this one!).
18. REC (2007)
This Spanish horror by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza is arguably the best found footage horror film this side of The Blair Witch Project. With a straight and simple plot that sees a film crew accompany a bunch of firefighters to a building only to get caught up in a quarantined zombie outbreak, this movie goes fast and hard and doesn’t miss a beat. Its inevitable U.S. remake wasn’t that bad, either, because the formula of a bunch of vicious zombie neighbors in a small apartment building just works.
17. Raw (2016)
We at MFF love ourselves some French horror, and Julia Ducournau’s first feature film is the kind of stuff we live for. A coming-of-age psychological body horror, this movie takes us into a French veterinarian school alongside two sisters who are vegetarians, but only because their parents say so. When the lust for flesh starts flaring up, body parts get devoured — and we’re talking literally here. It’s gorgeously filmed, the acting is solid and there are sequences that will make even the toughest among us feel squeamish.
16. Midsommar (2019)
On some people’s “Worst Date Movie” and others’ “Best Date Movie” list (yikes!), Ari Aster’s folk horror about a bunch of Americans who go to Sweden only to be sacrificed one by one became one of the most polarizing movies of 2019. That, in our eyes, is not a bad thing. If you think about it, people are still talking about men, women and bears these days. In all seriousness though, the movie’s unsettling tone, attention to detail and strong performances elevates it to more than just some perverse breakup movie. It’s all about intention and perspective here. That, and men stuffed inside disemboweled bears.
15. The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
In Osgood Perkins’ directorial debut, we venture into a Catholic boarding school where girls are either lonely, or bored, or both. Naturally, the devil comes knocking, but in this twisty story of three women who are severely misunderstood, things are slightly more complicated (as they usually are with teenage girls). Perkins crafted a tense, coming-of-age tale that not only shows a young woman finding her agency, but also questions what that agency truly means after all is said and done.
14. Saw (2004)
Put two guys in a room with a dead body, a tape recorder and two hacksaws, and let the game begin. An ingenious idea born from Australian filmmakers (and, by now, horror alumni) James Wan and Leigh Whannell, Saw came out during the so-called “torture porn” wave that struck horror cinema. Only, these guys showed that you can do sadistic body horror and be clever about it at the same time. It shocked and delighted audiences across the world, and gave rise to the seventh highest-grossing horror film franchise of all time (to date). It also gave us another legendary serial killer in Jigsaw who, let’s be real, falls somewhere between Hannibal Lecter and Geppetto.
13. Green Room
Green Room is one of the best thrillers I’ve seen in years because director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin – watch it now!) has mastered the art of creating white-knuckle tension and killing people very violently. His films drip with authenticity, and the naturalness of the characters’ insane-decision-making push the films to stressful heights. The characters in Green Room are in over their heads and the result is a glorious exploitation movie that is also very smart.
It made me very happy that Green Room made the list because it legitimately deserves to be considered amongst the elite. It proves that director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin, Hold the Dark) is an amazing director who knows how to deliver the goods (AKA insane amounts of tension). I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, and I love how Saulnier makes violence look so ugly and realistic. Nothing is glorified, and you will find yourself incredibly nervous for the trapped punk band, The Ain’t Rights, who put up a pretty decent fight against some neo-nazis who aren’t afraid of committing ultra-violence. Also, Patrick Stewart is awesome as the Neo-Nazi leader who is simultaneously charismatic, calculating and insane. Please watch Green Room.
12. The Witch (2015)
Robert Eggers’ directorial debut will go down in history as a legendary piece of folk horror. Set in New England in the 1630s, it tells the story of a Puritan family who is banished from their settlement and has to start life over on a farm near the woods. Only, there’s a witch who lives in the woods and makes ointments out of babies. Throw in two insufferable twins, a young woman out of sorts with the traditions imposed on her and a black goat who’s all for living deliciously, and you get a thought-provoking, religious horror that has a lot to say, and shows it well.
11. The Ring (2002)
One of the better American remakes of the century, this Gore Verbinksi movie all but screwed over anyone who ever tries to use the phrase “seven days” in earnest again. This movie was downright scary, and who among us have ever been able to erase the image of Samara climbing out of that television? Relying on creepy visuals over gore paid off here, and Hans Zimmer’s score took us all the way to Chills Town.
10. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead is a supercharged remake that blends fast zombies, likable characters, intense set pieces and cool songs to create a crowd-pleasing delight that is still Snyder’s best film. Whether it’s casting Sarah Polley in the lead, or picking the Stereophonics song “Have a Nice Day” to play while characters are having the worst day of their lives, the film is packed full of neat choices that made it much more than a stock remake of an all-time classic. One of my favorite all-time theater going experiences happened when I watched the movie in a packed theater in Houston, Texas. I remember the crowd going insane during the opening house battle that sees a young girl biting a giant chunk out of a guy’s neck, and the lead character Ana (Sarah Polley) scrambling for her life as the young girl AND her zombified husband try to rip her apart. It’s a thrilling opening and the film never loses its momentum. Toss in the solid performances from Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Mekhi Pfeiffer, and Sarah Polley, and you have one of the best remakes of the 21st century.
9. Train to Busan (2016)
Zombies, but on a train — a winning formula for director Yeon Sang-ho who gave us one of the best zombie movies of the 21st century. These zombies are fast, these undead mutants can traverse escalators and these infected creatures can work their way through a train like a fart in a crowd. Best of all, this movie has heart, giving us one of our favorite 21st century side-characters in Sang-Hwa (played by Ma Dong-seok) and a tear-jerker climax to boot.
8. Hereditary (2018)
While many consider Ari Aster’s breakthrough 2018 horror film to be the greatest horror film of the 21st century, I think it’s an excellent heist film involving a cult of people looking to snag loads of money from a demon named Paimon. What’s great about Hereditary is that Ari Aster is wildly upfront about his intentions and hides nothing from the viewer. From the very first moment, it features a wonderfully executed shot to make it seem like the doomed family lives inside a dollhouse, which suggests they are just toys to be moved around. And wow, are they ever played as a cult pulls out all the stops to drive them into insanity, despair and eventual death. Why? Well, they worship Paimon, one of the eight kings of hell, who if put into a suitable male host, will deliver sweet tax-free demon money to all who follow him. Watch the film again, the cult puts A LOT of work into getting rich.
7. 28 Days Later (2002)
I recently had to rewatch 28 Days Later for a Fandom assignment (watch the video) and it reminded me of how much of a miracle it is. Directed by Danny Boyle, and written by Alex Garland, the digitally shot (which was very ambitious back in 2002) horror film blends excellent performances, great music, and utter depression perfectly. It’s a bleak world filled with fast zombies (AKA people infected with a rage virus) and morally corrupt soldiers who went bad after like 3 weeks of living in a zombie apocalypse. What makes 28 Days Later so great is that it’s loaded with memorable visuals like the moment when Jim (Cillain Murphy) leaves a hospital and wanders the empty streets of London until he catches the attention of several rage-filled humans who chase him through the empty alleys and streets of the deserted city. Toss in a desperate stairwell chase and a crow dripping blood into Brendan Gleeson’s eye, and you have a movie that is easily one of the best horror films of the 21st century.
6. The Mist ((2007)
Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 1980 novella can best be described as a gut punch that’s followed by about 43 more gut punches. The harrowing film about a small town beset by a mystical mist that hides a plethora of deadly monsters works because of Darabont’s unflinching direction and the committed performances from Thomas Jane, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones and Marcia Gay Harden (who plays one of the most despicable characters ever put on screen). The most impressive aspect of The Mist is how depressing and violent it is for an American mainstream horror film. Between the bleak and darkly comedic ending, and the religious zealots who add problems on top of problems, The Mist isn’t afraid to wallow in terror and despair – which is very refreshing. On top of being an excellent horror film, it’s one of the best Stephen King adaptations and he’s gone on record to defend the “terrific” ending that has divided audiences for 17 years.
5 The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
It’s the movie that turned the splatter genre on its head and rode it all the way to cult status. It’s the one that gave us the magnificent pairing of Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins. It’s the sci-fi comedy horror that features everything from zombies and homicidal trees to a guy who looks like Pinhead and yes, the Merman. All hail the Merman, even though the cleanup on them is apparently a nightmare.
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
The early 2000s were a great time for zombie cinema enthusiasts as 28 Days Later, Resident Evil, Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead revitalized the genre and gave zombie fans new films to devour. The Edgar Wright directed Shaun of the Dead came out of nowhere (for people who weren’t familiar with Spaced) and immediately gathered a fanbase of dedicated fans who loved the unique energy created from Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The zombie-comedy is packed full of inspired editing, memorable characters and several surprise kills that give the film real stakes. The low-key zombie invasion film set the stage for Edgar Wright’s successful career and also proved that zombie’s could be beaten with pool sticks to the tune of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.
3. It Follows
I’ve spent A LOT of time with It Follows over the years as I tracked the total miles traveled by the creature and even learned how to defeat it by creating a rigid travel schedule to keep it as far away as possible. MFF co-writer John Leavengood and I and I also talked at length about the swimming pool finale and I just really adore the David Robert Mitchell directed movie. Not only did the film introduce the world to Maika Monroe, who has proved herself to be a horror legend with movies like Longlegs, The Guest, Watcher, and Significant Other, it also gave the world a truly frightening monster
What’s neat about the film is that it raises some interesting moral questions about what you would do if you were being pursued by a sexually-transmitted monster that is following you (the monster has a great GPS system) because a terrible person passed it onto you during a sexual encounter. The thing is, you can pass the curse to someone else, but after they die the creature starts working its way back down the list – which is horrifying because you can never relax knowing that it could make its way to you days/weeks/years/decades later. Would you have sex with someone and curse them to a horrible death to buy some time for yourself? How could you avoid it and live a somewhat normal life? Not only does It Follows create some interesting questions, but it’s also legitimately scary and features a killer synth soundtrack that hits hard and adds to the crushing paranoia.
2. The Descent (2005)
With visuals of dark corners and cave crawlers that can easily get stuck in the crevices of your mind, it’s no wonder this British spelunking banger climbed all the way to number two on our MFF list. Neil Marshall and the entire cast did good here, and we got both an iconic heroine and a great twist ending on top of a non-stop thrill ride.
1. Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s debut film Get Out is one of the most successful horror films ever created, so it makes sense that it landed in the #1 spot on the list. The global blockbuster pulled in $255 million worldwide and is one of six horror films to be nominated for Best Picture. Jordan Peele won an Oscar for his original script about a black photographer named Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) having a terrible time while meeting his white girlfriend’s family for the first time during a weekend trip to a secluded mansion. Peele wrote and directed the film because he wanted to master his fears and show audiences of all races the subtle racism that black people in America experience. Peele’s deep love of the horror genre helped him tell an inclusive and crowd-pleasing horror film that can be watched on many levels. Kudos should all be given to Daniel Kaluuya (who was nominated for A Best Actor Oscar), Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, and Caleb Landry Jones, who are all fantastically committed and add a level of comedy and menace to an all-timer horror film. Like Dawn of the Dead, Raw, The Babadook, and The People Under the Stairs, Get Out blends suspense, brain smashing, and a social thriller aspect perfectly, and it’s a great example of the genre being used as an entertaining form of art that can excite and educate.
Here’s the point breakdown and other fun information.
Here’s a list of all the contributors.
- Zanandi Botes – Follow Zanandi on X
- John Leavengood – Follow John on X – Make sure to read his MFF Horror Corner reviews!
- David Cross – Follow David on X and buy his books!
- Aaron Neuwirth – Listen to The Out Now With Aaron and Abe Podcast – Follow him on X
- Short Round 2.0 – Follow SR2 on X
- Isaac Thorne – Follow Isaac on X
- Adam Clement – Listen to our Halloween franchise MFF episodes!
- Clayton Thompson – Listen to the MFF As Above, So Below episode.
- Robert Lamb – Check out all of his 7 Lamb Podcasts.
- Joey Lewandowski – Listen to the 2 Fast 2 Forever Podcast
- Lisa Leaheey – Listen to the Pictures and Conversations podcast
- Megan Hofmeyer – Listen to our annual Random Awards for the MFF podcast
- Zachary Beckler – Follow Zach on X
- Brandon Peters – Listen to The Brandon Peters Show – Follow Brandon on X
- Nick Rehak – Listen to the Exploding Helicopter Show
- Jonny Numb – Follow Jonny on X and listen to our Feel Good Series on the MFF podcast
- Jay Cluitt – Listen to Deep Blue Sea – The Podcast – Follow him on X
- Mo lightning – Follow Mo on X
- Norbert Morvan – Follow Norbert on X – Listen to all of our episodes about the Alien franchise.
- Justin Gott – Follow Justin on XChris Kelly – Listen to Classic American Movies
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 587: Overlord, Superpowered Zombies, and Bokeem Woodbine
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.
Mark and Zanandi discuss the 2018 action horror film Overlord. Directed by Julius Avery, and starring Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Mathilde Ollivier, and several superpowered zombies, the movie focuses on what happens when a group of American soldiers are given the worst assignment ever during World War II. In this episode, they also talk about creative grenade usage, Bokeem Woodbine, and insane movie openings!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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Venom: The Last Dance (2024) – Review
Quick Thoughts – Grade – B – If you are a fan of the Venom franchise because you love it when a sweaty Tom Hardy walks around and talks to himself – you won’t be disappointed here. Venom: The Last Dance is a breezy and enjoyable romp that features some solid action beats and another fun performance from Tom Hardy.
This may sound insane, but one of my favorite things to come out of the 21st century (in regards to movies) is that Venom (2018) made $856 million at the box office. Watching a 100% committed Tom Hardy jump into lobster tanks and talk to himself during strolls through San Francisco makes me very happy. It was also nice seeing Venom: Let There Be Carnage collect over $500 million and guarantee we’d get to see Eddie Brock (Hardy) and Venom bicker their way through a 90-minute movie again.
At a breezy 110 minutes (95 without credits), Venom: The Last Dance is a beautifully chaotic sendoff for a franchise that has always been chaotic. This time around, Eddie Brock (Hardy) is hiding out in Mexico where he occasionally eats criminals and spends too much time drinking at local bars. When he sees his face on the local news, he realizes that it’s time to get back into the world and clear his name. He comes across some problems when he’s attacked by pureblooded Klyntar (a creature that can kill symbiotes with ease) that’s sent by an ancient symbiotic god named Knull – who is pissed that his symbiote creations trapped him for eternity on a swamp planet. Knull wants to escape his eternal prison and it turns out that the bond between Eddie and Venom is the key to unleashing him. Knull isn’t the only person looking for Eddie, there are some high-ranking scientists and soldiers led by Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who are studying the symbiotes near Area 51, and desperately want to snag Eddie so they can contain the symbiotic spread. This leads to various action scenes involving symbiote horses, whitewater rapid brawls, and a battle on top of a passenger plane that is highly impractical.
Directed by and written by Kelly Marcel (who wrote the first two films), the film is a wonderful mess that not only has to give Eddie and Venom’s story some finality, but it also introduces or re-introduces characters played by Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, Clark Backo (Letterkenny!) and Peggy Lu. Despite all the characters and shenanigans, Marcel and Hardy do a nice job on focusing on the relationship between Eddie and Venom. The middle section of the film is dedicated to Eddie catching a ride with a family of alien lovers and almost taking part in an impromptu Space Oddity singalong started by hippie dad Martin Moon (Rhys Ifans). It’s during this time that Eddie takes stock of his life and it allows him and Venom to truly bond as they deal with their lives together. It’s rare for a major blockbuster to slow down a film by stuffing a lead character into a Volkswagen Bus for 15 minutes, but I’m glad they did it because I always enjoy downtime with the lethal protectors.
Adding to the neat character moments are the frantic action sequences that use every cent of the $120 million budget to create some eye-popping visuals that made me very happy. Whether it’s seeing Tom Hardy hanging on to a speeding Venom horse, or watching a Klyntar turn soldiers into bloody human mulch (they are like a big wood chipper), there’s a lot to like here and there are even some fun surprises that I won’t spoil here. The action scenes are a big improvement from the first two films and there are some interesting stakes that make the action feel final and dangerous.
As a fan of the scrappy Venom franchise, I think Venom; The Last Dance is a cluttered, manic, and suitable sendoff for Tom Hardy, and I think it’s going to pull in lots of money around the world because it understands the spirit of the franchise (despite straying FAR from the comic source material) and isn’t afraid to halt its momentum so Venom can gamble and dance in Las Vegas.
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John’s Horror Corner: Storm Warning (2007), a mean, Australian “domestic survival” horror.
MY CALL: 60 minutes of utter boredom followed by 30 minutes of sick, mean, perverse, brutal, and downright cruel horror. If this is for you, you know who you are. MORE MOVIES LIKE Storm Warning: A couple similar-ish movies include You’re Next (2013) and Lowlifes (2024).
Okay. Full disclosure. This is another one of those movies that I pretty much never heard of until I saw some brutal gory screen grabs someone shared on social media. Yes, I indeed often watch movies based on that alone, ignoring all reviews. Sometimes they’re delightful (e.g., The Hills Run Red), and sometimes they’re not (e.g., Hellhole, Inbred). Storm Warning falls somewhere in the middle ground.
Pia (Nadia Farès) and Rob (Robert Taylor; The Meg, Blood Vessel) depart on a fishing-boating outing for the day and get lost during low tide on their way back. Stranded in the wilderness, they manage to avoid some unsavory types on the road and wander upon a farmhouse by nightfall. Now who guessed that’s where the unsavory folks lived…?
The writing and acting are pretty stale, almost like an early 90s episode of Baywatch, meeting the people who would get rescued later. This is like a soap opera with the odd episode out on the water, so the outdoor and water sets are of the lowest quality the production assistants could find to save money.
Like the Ides of Wrong Turn (2003), they hike past long-abandoned cars overgrown in weeds. When they reach the disheveled house, it seems no one is home. So, of course, they go in nose around to find an absolute pigsty decorated with blow up dolls, nudie magazine centerfolds, and a marijuana grow-house operation. Before they can decide to leave and take their chances in the bush, the residents arrive home and are none too happy with their uninvited guests.
The couple becomes acquainted at gunpoint by the brothers who live there, out far from any main road or town or shop. And with a storm upon them, they agree to stay the night before being driven to civilization the next day. They really don’t want to stay. But they hardly have any choice. Predictably, things go from awkwardly hospitable, to manipulative, to threats and forced captivity… and then we wander into the zone of inevitable sexual assault.
This movie takes a long time to get to the point. Nothing remotely interesting happens for at least an hour. And while that’s not so unusual for the genre, the first our is such a slog that it feels like punishment. I’m hoping director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend, Valentine) just did this for the paycheck.
Desperate to escape, Pia sets some clever traps for her captors. There is a bruuuutal “Jesus wept” Hellraiser (1987) trap that hooks and yanks chunks of flesh with incredibly visceral imagery; some grade-A gory head hammering and wound work; a mean but deserved vagina dentata gore gag; a wild scene with a dog ending in disembowelment; and a giant propeller death. These visuals are pretty great, so now we see where every dollar of the budget went. Not rewrites, not sets, not higher caliber actors… just the gooey, chunky, lacerated skin flappy gore.
So was it worth it? Well, I won’t lie. The first hour was really rough. But the last 30 minutes had a lot of gore and violence and perverted hillbilly mania to offer. So if you enjoy sick, mean, brutal, and downright cruel horror, then this is probably for you.
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John’s Horror Corner: Species II (1998), more sex, more gore, more tentacles, more Henstridge, more SPECIES!!!
MY CALL: This is basically Species (1995) on cocaine and steroids—which is the movie’s greatest strength as long as you’re in the mood for something senselessly wild. It’s another super entertaining, high-budget Sci-Horror done right! Just don’t come into this expecting much in the way of plot. MORE MOVIES LIKE Species II: Other than the first Species (1995), I might consider Decoys (2004) a good double feature. Splice (2009) also follows a similar vein.
The 90s enjoyed a wave of movies (e.g., Arrival, Sphere, Contact) producing some ideas of what would happen if aliens were to respond to our messages sent out into deep space from the project SETI: Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. This trend included Species (1995). Then the late 90s and 2000s began to focus of Mission to Mars movies (e.g., Mission to Mars, Red Planet, The Last Days on Mars)… and what would go wrong. Species II capitalizes on this trend in fine form, while preserving everything Species fans loved about the first movie.
Like the original, some of the then-ambitious CGI doesn’t look quite so stellar today as we open with a visuals-rich Mars mission landing. The first man to set foot on Mars, Patrick (Justin Lazard) takes core soil samples of red silt that entomb an oozy, alien, slime-mold-like lifeform which escapes its containment unit and infects the entire crew.
Upon returning to Earth, our Mars astronauts are on sexual quarantine for 10 days. If only they followed this rule… smh. Director Peter Medak’s (The Changeling) sequel is more sultry and sexualized than its predecessor. The sex scenes are more frequent, with more people, and more nudity. But there’s also more effects and gore earlier in the film. Within the first 30 minutes a threesome results in a grotesque emergence of slimy tentacles and a very graphic, horrifyingly painful birth scene as a monstrous infant head erupts from a woman’s distended abdomen only minutes post-coitus. With the crime scene splattered with some all-too familiar alien DNA, the authorities knew exactly whom to call.
Overseeing a genetic clone of Sil, Dr. Baker (Marg Helgenberger; After Midnight, Species) has genetically engineered Eve (Natasha Henstridge; Species I-III, Maximum Risk, Ghosts of Mars) in order to study the alien threat introduced in part 1—should that threat ever return. Well, as luck would have it… that day has come. The Pentagon assigns Preston (Michael Madsen; House) and Dr. Baker to hunt down this new threat, since they’ve hunted one down before.
As Baker, Preston and uninfected astronaut Gamble (Mykelti Williamson; The Final Destination) try to hunt down Patrick, he leaves hollowed out human mothers in his wake as he mows through strip clubs and prostitutes, amassing a farmhouse of his alien offspring. But he wasn’t the only one infected.
Additional gore and effects scenes do not disappoint. Immediately after conception, an astronaut’s (Myriam Cyr; Gothic) stomach expands and ruptures a chaotic bloom of tentacles. As she shrieks in pain and terror, a long worm-like monster emerges and harpoons her husband’s face across the room against the wall. The scene is incredibly gross and wildly unnerving. There are also scenes with monstrously gross autopsy, graphic suicide and regeneration, more women with hollowed out bodies from traumatic insta-birth, and Patrick’s kids metamorphosing into slimy gooey pulsating cocoons.
When Patrick and Eve learn of each other, they are powerfully drawn to each other. Their union is a sight that would make H. R. Giger proud. Their mating is like a cyborg-xenomorph hentai tentacle scene that turns into a sexualized monster battle between monsters akin to a hybrid between a gangly predalien and a xenomorph fembot. The finale is insane, a bit perverse, and loaded with cool effects. And thankfully, not so much in the way of CGI nonsense.
The closing scene screams at us to expect another sequel. And with how this one turned out, I’m 1000% on board. Unfortunately, that might be when these movies shift to direct-to-video releases. Oh well.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Bonus Episode! – The Best Deaths From the Final Destination Franchise
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Norbert joined me to talk about our favorite kill scenes from the Final Destination franchise! The Final Destination series is packed full of creative kills and we had a great time talking about the franchise and its legacy. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
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Smile 2 (2024) – Review
Quick Thoughts – Grade – A – Director Parker Finn’s follow up the ultra-successful Smile (2022) is a confident horror sequel that features an excellent performance from Naomi Scott.
Starting with the 2021 short film Laura Hasn’t Slept, and continuing on with Smile and Smile 2, director Parker Finn has gotten an impressive amount of mileage out of the devilish Smile Entity that plagues the protagonists in the Smile franchise. On the surface, the idea of an investigative horror film featuring a demon who takes over bodies and smiles creepily at its victims is a homerun. What’s more impressive is that Finn has taken a good idea and not rested on its creepy strength. Instead, he’s built something truly frightening and improved upon each effort. Smile 2 is one of 2024’s best horror films and it’s fun watching Finn become more confident and artistic as the series continues. As expected, the cinematography by Charlie Sarroff (Relic, Night Swim) is excellent as the 2:00 to 1 aspect ratio makes the smiling faces look amazing. Also, Naomi Scott puts in one of the most physical and devoted performances of 2024 as a popstar who is going through one of the worst weeks ever.
The film opens up with a shootout inside an abandoned house between a guy named Joel (Kyle Gallner – returning from the first film – also watch Strange Darling!) and the drug dealers who use it for their operations. Joel has clearly been afflicted by the smile entity and his plan to kill it goes awry and it’s passed to a small-time dealer named Lewis (Lukas Gage) who is in the worst possible place at the worst possible time. Soon after the shootout, Lewis passes the Smile Entity on to a world famous popstar named Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) when she shows up to his apartment to grab some painkillers. From there, the movie focuses on Skye as she deals with an evil entity, addiction problems, mental illness, bodily injuries, water bottles. and past trauma.
What makes Smile 2 so good is that it uses its 131-minute running time to bury the audience into the ground. The film is confidently designed to put you in a headlock as Skye is haunted by the jerkiest of demons while dealing with the rigors of a comeback world tour and dump trucks of trauma. When we’re introduced to Skye during an appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show as she talks about her year-long hiatus after a car crash killed her actor boyfriend (Ray Nicholson – great smile) and left her in constant pain. On top of this, she’s an addict who has been sober for a year and can’t take any pain medications stronger than Tylenol. This isn’t great because training for a dance-heavy world tour is intense and not great for people with back pain. Her constant pain (and stress) leads her to Lewis’s apartment where he promptly kills himself in front of her – and leaves her cursed. From there, things just get terrible for her and it wouldn’t be cool to spoil anything else.
What makes Smile 2 so good is Naomi Scott. She comes across as a real-deal popstar and she handles the dancing, singing (She’s great in Aladdin) and physicality with an effortless grace. Her interactions with Rosemarie DeWitt, Dylan Gelula, Raúl Castillo, Peter Jacobson and Miles Gutierrez (the supporting cast is excellent) carry emotional weight and nothing about her journey into insanity (via a demon) feels superficial. The show must go on for Skye, and it hurts watching her flail her way towards her demise. It was a smart move by Finn to make the Skye character famous because it creates instant drama when she’s signing autographs, speaking at swanky dinners or rehearsing with her dancers because any of them can become the Smile Entity at the worst possible time. Also, her past issues with addiction make her frightened outbursts seem less-important to the people around her who are used to her drug-fueled antics and wild explosions. At one point, her mom yells ““Think about the tour, Sky!” during one of Skye’s frightened outbursts, and you really just want someone to hug the poor twenty-something popstar who is completely misunderstood and being hunted by a demon.
Final Thoughts – Smile 2 doesn’t pull its punches and it will hurt your soul. However, the filmmaking, performances, sound design, costuming and cinematography will put a smile on your face.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 586: After Hours, Martin Scorsese, and SoHo
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
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Mark and Joey Lewandowski (@soulpopped on X) discuss the 1985 comedy thriller After Hours. Directed by Martin Scorses, and starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Teri Garr and some papier-mâché, the movie focuses on a guy having a really bad night in New York City. In this episode, they also talk about terrible nights, mohawks, and Scorsese’s filmography. Enjoy!
Make sure to listen to the 2 Fast 2 Forever podcast (@2Fast2Forever on X). It’s wonderful.
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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John’s Horror Corner: Imaginary (2024), the crossroads of The Further, demonic toys, and evil imaginary friends.
MY CALL: If you need a good warm-up movie before your quality evening feature, this is a decent enough popcorn flick that some of the kids can watch before you put them to bed for Terrifier 3 (2024). Nothing special; but decently produced and easily good enough. MORE MOVIES LIKE Imaginary: Maybe something like Hide and Seek (2005) or Z (2019).
A struggling stepmom moving her new family into her childhood home, Jessica (DeWanda Wise) finds much nostalgia and reminders of things long forgotten in her father’s old home videos and kiddish drawings on her old bedroom walls. Her husband Max (Tom Payne; The Walking Dead) and her younger stepdaughter Alice (Pyper Braun) are comforts. Whereas the older stepdaughter Taylor (Taegen Burns) is a teen ball of resistance.
Not a day in the house and young Alice is “called” to a small secret door in the basement where she finds an old Teddy Bear named Chauncy. She talks to Chauncy and finds good company with her new “friend.” At first, it seems sweet. But we quickly learn that Chauncy is quite haunted and ambulatory.
Keeping the audience even more on our toes is a creepy old lady neighbor, the mentally ill biological mother of the girls, some boogeyman imagery, and the provocative things Chauncy apparently says to Alice. Eventually, Chauncy suggests some destructive behavior, begins making threats, and displays some really cool monstrous imagery.
Perhaps following Insidious’ lead, we end up in an “other side” something like The Further. The final act does suffer from some painful over-exposition as a key character explains away things the scenes couldn’t so easily explain, and it reaches over-the-top fanaticism. But then it thankfully shifts to dark and feisty in their efforts to escape this evil Wonderland of imagination and what ends up looking like a comically discount brand Bughuul (Sinister).
Director Jeff Wadlow (Fantasy Island, Truth or Dare) has composed a rather effective PG-13 horror film—his best yet in my opinion. The family tensions felt palpably credible, and the atmosphere was (at times) strong. Moreover, the writing, acting, and production value felt above my typical expectations of sub-R horror, or even unfettered R-horror. This really was well composed. No glowing recommendations here. But this was entertaining.
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MY CALL: With extra hokey death scenes and some passable gore make-up, this most ambitious sequel of the franchise is still just worthy of a giggly Bad Movie Night. MORE MOVIES LIKE Amityville 1992: Uhhhhhh, when it comes to Amityville sequels, I’d stick to Amityville II: The Possession (1982) and otherwise tread carefully into the depths of the extended franchise. Part II has all the dumb fun you’re looking for with great pacing, but Amityville 3-D (1983) and Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes (1989) are both boring slogs. Definitely skip The Amityville Curse (1990), the worst of the first five Amityville movies. Amityville 1992: It’s About Time (1992) is marginally better than Curse. Amityville Dollhouse (1996) is a solidly fun bad movie, but it truly has nothing to do with Amityville (it is neither sequel nor spin-off, it just has a similar theme and uses “Amityville” in the title for literally no good reason).
More EVIL MIRROR movies: For more evil mirror movies try Mirrors (2008), Mirrors 2 (2010), Oculus (2014), Into the Mirror (2003) or Mirror Mirror 1-2 (1990, 1994). But I’d skip Mirror (2014).
I’m pretending that The Amityville Curse (1990) didn’t happen. So, after the slaughter of now two different families, a botched paranormal investigation and exorcism in the house, and a cursed yard sale lamp and clock (brought across the country to two different houses) to raise Hell, we now have… wait for it… yet another cursed object from the original house! This time a mirror!
The very first images to curse the screen in this movie is of the mirror’s sculpted demonic frame… which could have been made by a middle school art student. It’s farcically bad. I didn’t know an evil spirit would be willing to inhabit something so mediocre.
A homeless man gives Keyes (Ross Partridge) this cursed mirror in exchange for his charity. With his girlfriend Lanie (Lala Sloatman; Watchers) not so impressed with the mirror, they give it to their neighbor Suki (Julia Nickson). This comes just in time as Keyes and his artist conclave neighbors (incl. Richard Roundtree) plan to assemble an art show with their landlord’s (David Naughton; An American Werewolf in London) permission. So, in the interest of a low budget, the movie takes place in this apartment building.
The first death scene is not promising. Suki’s troublesome boyfriend (Robert Rusler; A Nightmare on Elm Street part II, Vamp, Sometimes They Come Back) sees his reflection in the mirror being mutilated, and then he panics and crashes his head through a window… which cuts his throat and face in as unspectacular manner as one could imagine. I want to be clear here, we watched him break a window to his head, fall to the ground, and die instantly from the cuts. This was less fun than watching footage of someone slip and fall on Instagram.
Meanwhile Keyes has nightmares of the original Amityville house, a detective (Terry O’Quinn; The Stepfather 1-2, Silver Bullet) starts looking into the recent deaths in the building, Suki becomes fascinated with the mirror and starts painting demons, and some rotoscoped bad-FX demon escapes from one of her paintings. The second death scene claims Suki in, again, an extremely uninspired (truly dull) death scene involving a noose. You could even see her pulse even after she was supposed to be long dead. I’m reminded of my friends’ homemade films from high school. Sigh…
Oh, but there’s a twist! Apparently, the homeless man who gave Keyes the mirror was THE killer in The Amityville Horror (1979) house from Keyes’ nightmares aaaaand that he was Keyes’ father! This should be cool. But it falls completely flat. I couldn’t have cared less. Funny, though, how we learn (from Lin Shaye; Abbatoir, The Grudge, Critters, Insidious 1-5, A Nightmare on Elm Street) that the Amityville house contents went to auction, as if to elegantly connect the 1979 original, this sequel, and the 5th and 6th Amityville movies together… you could call this anthology The Amityville Yard Sale. Some of the flashbacks’ Amityville family mythology-building smacked of A Nightmare on Elm Street parts 4-5, even if of far lower quality.
The death scenes are not all worthless, though. Some gunshots to the face and chest (re-enacting the original Amityville mass murder) were quite graphic. Some additional mutilated make-up work peppered in more acceptable effects as well. There’s also an incredibly ridiculous and satirical scene involving what art critics considered to be outstanding performance art. Just another dumb scene; but worthy of a chuckle and an eyeroll.
Director John Murlowski juuust might have bitten off more than he could chew. This movie had distinctly weak writing behind a wonderfully big idea to connect many Amityville films together more than any of the other sequels ever dared to consider. And that is admirable. However, the result was no fine film at all, but a bad movie. A delightfully bad movie!
Movies, Films & Flix 