Top 10 Horror Movies of 2011

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5. Fright Night

This better-than-expected remake of 1985′s Fright Night has some interesting surprises. Set in a Vegas suburb during the housing crisis, it concerns Charley (Anton Yelchin) who finds out that his next door neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. Updates the original, adding a modern spin. Give it a chance. Reviewed here.

4. Attack the Block

Aliens invade earth, but didn’t count on a bunch of British teen gang-bangers in Central London. In the offbeat horror/comedy from Joe Cornish, criminals and victims soon find themselves on the same side, fighting off horrible monsters. A fun creature feature and mostly well received, even if some have criticized it for its less then likable characters.

3. Insidious

Insidious is an interesting and occasionally creepy haunted house/possession thriller that is partly influenced by Poltergeist and The Sixth Sense. A family is haunted by spirits and then their young son inexplicably enters a coma. This leads to a trio of paranormal investigators attempting to expel the demons and get the son back from a place called “The Further”. Seems to be a fan favorite this year and for the most part it’s jump-scares are effective, although the ending is a slight disappointment. Reviewed here.

2. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

A horror festival favorite in 2010, Tucker and Dale versus Evil finally hit video-on-demand this past August. West Virginia hillbillies Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) are kickin it at their cabin in the woods, when idiot college students show up on vacation. The kids get the idea that Tucker and Dale are really deranged, backwoods serial killers, because of a misunderstanding involving the saving of Allison (Katrina Bowden) from drowning, followed by a series of unfortunate accidents in the tradition of movies like Very Bad Things. A very good horror spoof that turns the tables on popular horror tropes, making the backwoods guys the heroes. Fun.

1. I Saw the Devil

A 2010 South Korean movie that made huge waves in 2011, I Saw The Devil comes from Jee-woon Kim, the guy who gave us A Tale of Two Sisters. It’s an ultraviolent film about a government agent who tracks down the serial killer who murdered his pregnant fiance. But he doesn’t stop there. By the end of this unrelenting revenge picture, you might ask yourself where the line is between the good and bad guy, and how far you can take revenge before becoming a monster yourself. I Saw the Devil has been called the best serial killer film since Seven or The Silence of the Lambs, but way more disturbing.

Runners Up

The Thing

Prequel to the John Carpenter classic shows what happens to the Norweigan camp before Kurt Russell and crew get to it. Noregian scientists and an American paleontologist (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) discover an alien in a block of ice. It escapes and the results are CGI gory. Reviews were mixed; general consensus is that it’s a nice effort but can’t hold a candle to the 1982 film.

The Last Circus

Released in Spain very late in 2010, The Last Circus had already started the festival circuit, and really gathered a following this year. A traumatized clown joins the circus and is paired up with a “Funny” clown (since he is the “sad” one); he falls in love with a trapeze artist and soon the two become rivals. It’s political, violent, funny, and tragic.

Black Death

Released last year but made a splash in 2011, Black Death is a disturbing period piece surrounding the black plague and a group of knights assigned to check out a village that supposedly hasn’t been touched by the disease. What they find is something truly sinister. Sorta like an updating of The Wicker Man, except during medieval times. Watch this instead of Season of the Witch.

The Rite

Exorcism movie with Anthony Hopkins about a priest’s (Colin O’Donoghue) lack of faith. Hated by most critics but was well received by Catholics.

Stake Land

In a nightmare world ruled by vampires, a small group of survivors try to reach the “New Eden.”

Human Centipede II: Full Sequence

Tom Six’s sequel goes overboard (12 person centipede, for example), but then does everything in black-and-white (to soften the blow, maybe?)

Shark Night

Sharks! In 3D!

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