Unlike almost any other genre, the horror film is often dismissed by critics simply just for being a horror film. But there are plenty of really good horror movies - The Exorcist, The Silence of the Lambs and An American Werewolf in London are three that immediately spring to mind. And just like every other genre, there are good and bad horror movies. Sadly, the good ones rarely get the recognition they deserve. So, in an attempt to correct that and, in the order of release (though not necessarily the order in which I saw them), here are the best of this year's horror movies (IMHO):
Writer/Director Mitchell Lichtenstein's feminist parable concerns the urban legend known as Vagina Dentata. Jess Wexler gives a truly terrific performance as Dawn O'Keefe, a young woman who has taken a vow of chastity, only to discover that her privates are even more dangerous than the preacher who led her to take that vow would leave her to believe. Hilarious and horrifying, Teeth will make every man squeeze his legs a bit closer together upon viewing and give every teen pause before getting his girlfriend drunk and trying something stupid.
The 'Godfather of the Dead,' George A. Romero, returns to his roots and joins the "hand-held camera" trend for his fifth entry in his "Living Dead" series. A group of student filmmakers are shooting a mummy picture in the woods when the zombie plague breaks out, and the young director decides to record the events that are unfolding about them. Intense and relentlessly horrifying, Diary of the Dead is Romero's best entry in the series since 1979's original Dawn of the Dead. Horror icons Wes Craven, Stephen King and Guillermo del Toro all have uncredited voice cameos, along with director Quentin Tarantino and Shaun of the Dead's Simon Pegg.
Scott Smith ("A Simple Plan") wrote the novel (and the screenplay) on which this nasty little thriller is based, about a group of Americans on vacation in Mexico who find themselves trapped atop an ancient pyramid with a vicious, intelligent and very carnivorous entity. The book seemed a bit silly when I read it, though Smith's character development and less-than-happy ending more than made up for that. Director Carter Smith (no relation) ramps up the tension and the gore, while managing to elicit terrific performances from his talented young cast, which includes Jena Malone (Donnie Darko), Shawn Ashmore (X-Men) and Jonathan Tucker (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
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