The 10 Best Horror Films of 2008

talent over beauty: (l-r) Kelly Reilly, Manuela Velasco, Belen Rueda

2008 was the year of the banking crisis. Here in the UK our great leaders warned us it would take five years to get back to pre-catastrophe levels. Now that we’re in 2012¹… The lying bastards.

Thrill Fiction is proud to present a new series of editorials detailing the first decade of this (perhaps the last) century. Each year will be catalogued in reverse chronological order after which the best films of the decade will be collated. How many films will make that list is to be determined by quality and not numbers.

The usual TFi parameters apply. each film is listed according to its US or UK release date – whichever came first (this is in contrast to IMDb and others which list the year of production). ‘Release’ means available to the public – be it wide theatrical, video-on-demand or DVD premiere. The noted criterion change is ‘limited release’; just because a picture is screened at an arthouse in Manhattan’s gay district doesn’t mean its available to the public.

When the futureworld unearths the time capsule marked ‘2008’ they’ll see what the talking monkeys were up to. A subspecies called ‘geeks’ were wetting themselves over a bloated movie called The Dark Knight (as well as various porno flicks). A US senator from Chicago won the presidential election. The surprise was he had no ties to organized crime. An orangutan named Hulk Hogan (not his real name) lost his wife to one of his daughter’s teenage (male) friends.

Sounds a lot like 2012².

This is what the HorrorFolk were watching:

10 Rouge  AUS

Cinema is littered with the carcasses of the sophomore slump: Spike Lee (She’s Gotta Have It 1986 debut; School Daze 1988 sophomore), Steven Soderburgh (Sex, Lies and Videotape 1989 – Kafka 1991), Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko 2001 – Southland Tales 2007). There are others. Greg McClean is not one of them.

His feature debut Wolf Creek 2005 raised the attention of the criterati. They rewarded him with inclusion n the ‘Splat Pack’³.  Rogue doesn’t stray too far from its predecessor. Where the debut was babes-in-the-woods the sophomore is man-fights-beast (in-the-woods). McClean’s next film is Wolf Creek 2.

If it works – shoot it. 

 Clips contain profanity and/or violence; may not be safe for work

Rouge received a 25 April limited release then a 5 August DVD premiere in the US.

9 The Ruins  US

When Hollywood can be bothered they make the best movies in the world. The template is simple – acquire popular novel, hire talented director and actors and the movie should sell itself.

Jena Malone is the big noise onscreen but everything is played down to a simmer in the searing Mexican heat. Despite the vistas and the Mayan pyramid the action is claustrophobic. The filmmakers are taking themselves seriously. It is accomplished work but the audience would be better equipped if they read the novel.

The Ruins opened wide on 4 April Stateside. It went on general release 20 June in the UK.

8 Day of the Dead  US

My first recollection of an ingénue is Winona Ryder. Whereas she stayed active into her disgrace almost all others have dissolved into forgotten memories. Who today remembers Kristy Swanson, Phoebe Cates and Alicia Silverstone? Who remembers Mena Suvari?

The American Pie 1999 alumni are cashing in their last paycheque later this spring (don’t spend it all at once kids). In the case of Suvari she was given a chance to be a Winona Ryder – then everyone realised she can’t act.

So she headlines Day of the Dead with Nick Cannon as co-star. For those who aren’t familiar with the d-list Cannon is a (yoot) TV presenter and Mariah Carey’s bitch. He and Suvari are cast as soldiers in this purported remake of the George A Romero film – but it’s not a remake. It merely leases the original’s premise then goes off on one.

Fast zombies, the army and lots of guns. Horror films can be entertaining too. Mena Suvari may not be able to act but I’d surrender to her.

I’d escape later though.

Day of the Dead opened wide on 8 April in the US. It went on general release 1 September in the UK.

7 The Signal  US

Like in pro wrestling the independents should serve the public what the mainstream (Hollywood) refuses to. Said refusal may be a case of ineptitude or simple economics. Ie the story may not be financially viable to a conglomerate behemoth. Ie if the projected gains are so small it’s not worth an executive jumping out of his Lear jet.

Pigs will fly if the price is right.

The Signal exists to challenge the audience. Its low budget is betrayed by the texture of the visuals, special effects and one or two ropey actors. Its low budget is also a marvel at what can be accomplished with so little.

The Signal is raw – and that’s how horror fans like their meat.

The Signal received a 10 June DVD premiere in the US.

6 Eskalofrío  SPA (also known as Shiver)

When John Carpenter directed Halloween 1978 he created a precedent. Henceforth the lead characters of horror films would no longer be adults they would be teenagers. One of the advantages was immediately apparent at the box office of the cash-grab Friday the 13^th 1980; the audience was/is the same age as the characters. They could relate.

The teens in horror films are invariably high school seniors. They have access to vehicles and credit cards thus there is no significant plot mechanical difference between them and adults (perkier boobs are not a plot mechanic). Shiver has a younger teen as protagonist. He has no car and is at the mercy of grownups. 

Those liars, murderers and corrupters of youth.

This along with the Mexican thriller La Zona 2008 inspired me to write the lead character of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Return as a 15 year old.

Shiver premiered 28 October on DVD in the US.

5 Zombie Strippers  US

Here at Thrill Fiction I pride myself on the absence of snobbery. So those looking to join a cinema club of fools should wear a beret, immigrate to France and live in a commune full of communists where you can worship the collected classics of Inspector Clouseau.

Merci.

Zombie Strippers  is truffle gift wrapped in tabloid newspaper. It stars the porno whore Jenna Jameson. In my research for this article I have determined that this woman has demonstrated all human possibilities of vaginal penetration. Thank goodness she does not display any of her talents in this flicker.

Jenna can’t act but she comes alive as a zombie. Husband Tito has a chuckle worthy cameo (this was before she accused him of beating her up⁴). Robert Englund holds the centre as the sleazeball strip joint owner (another way of saying pimp).

As the title suggests this is horror-comedy. It’s also a satire on the ‘exotic dancing’ industry. All humour is shed in its denunciation of the Bush administration and American foreign policy. This is a film feminists should show their children – but feminists won't get the joke.

Zombie Strippers had a limited release on 18 April in the US. It went on DVD sale 28 October. General release was on 19 September in the UK.

4 Eden Lake  UK

I sometimes play a parlour game with people: what’s your favorite film of the 90s (or 80s)? Who was the star? Who was the female? Who?

Michael Fassbender co-stars in Eden Lake. He has since become a critical darling and a star in Hollywood movies. His last film was directed by Steven Soderburgh (Haywire 2012). His next film is directed by Ridley Scott (Prometheus 2012).

Kelly Reilly plays the lead with a performance that could have made her a star if such things were determined on merit. She remains in England as a TV actor where her English Rose appeal is effective. Perhaps she can’t crack a yankee accent. I predict her career will go the way of another English Rose Geraldine Sommerville.

Who?

Geraldine Sommerville in 'Cracker'

Eden Lake went on general release 12 Sep in the UK.

3 The Lost  US

Five of Jack Ketchum’s books have been adapted into films. They range from good to great. This is one of the great ones. The Lost is the stylistic and artistic sequel to Mary Harron’s masterpiece so much so it could be called American Psycho 2: White Trash.

The audience for horror dramas is patient. They observe as the story unfolds. There is no time for patience in The Lost. The first sequence establishes the tone of the horror to come.

There is no mercy in a Jack Ketchum story. There are no loose ends; no plot holes. This is Master of Horror storytelling.

The Lost was released on DVD (premiere) on 18 March in the US.

2 [REC●]  SPA

The super zombie Danny Boyle created in 28 Days Later 2000 reached its zenith in [REC●]. This was the year of Cloverfield when found footage films were exciting and intriguing. In [REC●] and for the first time since The Blair Witch Project 1999 the format was innovate. It hasn’t been innovative since.

Story is context. Without Goldilocks the three bears would have been circus freaks. Without lead actor Manuela Velasco [REC●] would have been just another zombie flick. Horror is not kind to Final Girls or Scream Queens. Like Kelly Reilly in Eden Lake stardom did not beckon for Velasco after a performance that elevated this film into ‘great’. How great was she? Compare her performance to that of the chick who played the same role in the shot-for-shot remake Quarantine 2008.

Human cloning is not a good thing.

[REC●] went on general release 11 April in the UK. It had a DVD premiere on 14 September 2009 in the US.

1 El Orfanato SPA (aka The Orphanage)

Every so often there comes a film that fulfils the potential of cinema. The Orphanage is a ghost story specific to catholic Spain but it reaped $78m at the worldwide box office. That figure can hardly be blamed on its marketing campaign. I dare anyone outside of its home country to recall posters on the side of buses, TV spots or a red carpet premiere. The Orphanage was a global success because of quality. The public responded by word-of-mouth.

Hollywood has never been backward in coming forward. To wit this year has seen the Silent House remake of last year’s The Silent House. New Line Cinema has been developing a remake of The Orphanage since 2007. At the time of writing principal photography has not been scheduled.

Maybe someone told them about Quarantine.

The Orphanage had a limited release (19 screens) on 28 December 2007 in the US. It opened wide (707 screens) on 11 January. It went on general release 21 March in the UK.

2008 was a landmark year in horror. It was called Cloverfield and made a domestic $80m ($86.8m adjusted for inflation). It certainly helped the way Paranormal Activity 2009 was marketed to the public. Right now we are in the middle of a nuclear found footage winter. Horror fads come and horror fads go and this too shall pass. Thankfully 2008 reaffirmed a horror truth: nothing can surpass a ghost story well told.

That is not an endorsement of Harry Potter and the Woman in Black.

Read more Thrill Fiction: The 10 Best Horror Films of 2011

1 ‘only 6% of brutal cuts have kicked in so far’ DailyMirror

2 Hulk Hogan sex tape Daily Mail

3 The Splat Pack TIME magazine

4 Jenna accuses Tito Ortiz of domestic abuse USA Today

• all release dates from sources The Numbers and Box Office Mojo

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Prometheus 2nd trailer

The Horror Folk claim Alien 1979 as their own as well they should. Previously in Thrill Fiction I have resisted in accepting Ridley Scott’s definitive work as horror. I have always referred to it as scifi but I wrong. It is one of the best horror films ever made.

The difference between it and Aliens 1986 is the definition of the series. One can shoehorn in Alien³ 1992 but the good times for fanboys ended there – 20 years ago.

This summer the elderly Scott will attempt to end his career on a high note. Prometheus 2012 is an attempt to rescue the series from the 20^th Century suits that commissioned Alien: Resurrection 1997 and the straight-toDVD caliber that followed.

In a previous vignette Guy Pearce proclaims mankind to be “the new gods”. It is profound. Ridley is aiming for scope. He is aiming for legend. He may well have created myth. He’s got some of the best non-American actors recognizable to Americans to participate. This could feel like fire from the cinema ‘gods’.

Prometheus 2012 may not be horror but it belongs to the Horror Folk as much as Alien does.

Read more Thrill Fiction: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 remake

Technorati Tags:prometheus, alien, aliens, alien 3, alien ressurection, ridley scott, horror films, scifi
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Creak

Thrill Fiction is proud to support the young and not so young writers¹, filmmakers² and bloggers. If you’re trying to break into horror – welcome. Faster Productions³ has produced and released the first in a series of horror shorts called Disposable Screams. The inaugural Creak is a better 5 minutes than the feature length Silent House 2012.

Luther Bhogal-jones is the auteur-in-training. Yeah, he’s got the sort of name that an English director in Hollywood should have. Luther currently lives in Brighton, England. He’s paying his dues.

We got to chatting via email about Creak and his production outfit. Luther reminds me of Ricky Sprague – talented with a vigour and ambition. Christopher Nolan started off with the 3 minute Doodlebug⁴. Three years later he directed Momento 2000. Where will Luther Bhogal-jones be in three years time? He’ll be making films that’s for sure.

On Horror:

Horror was what eventually led me to film. When I look back it was buying a book on horror films from a discount book store - I flicked through it and an old man passing behind me said "That stuff'll give you nightmares!" So for some reason I bought it. I think that book lead me to reading Stephen King, which lead me to other things and wanting to be a writer. So basically that book was the starting point.

As for why now, I never really attempted a horror before as I was always felt they needed a certain level of technical skill and other factors, such as lighting, sound design, music...elements I could never completely rely on before. Only now do I feel a bit more confident to try and do horror/ fantasy type films, as I think something pretty good can be achieved with very little these days (especially if you know someone who is a whizz with After Effects etc).

On childhood:

Yeah, we had a video player when I was about 6 or 7 - first video I saw was Enter The Dragon uncut (pre-BBFC days) then saw quite a lot of action trash which I loved and in later years I'd discover was Italian (Bronx Warriors, Atlantis Interceptors) which would end up referencing the horror when I started getting into Italian horror. But mostly it was action stuff I ended up seeing as horror was never of that much interest to me until I came across that book, though I did see stuff like Nightmare On Elm Street...and I remember seeing Prince Of Darkness.

Master of Horror or Filmmaker?

Film maker. I think the most influential film makers on me, in terms of attitude towards it all, are Roger Corman for his drive to get films done with limited resources, as well as creating memorable films in a variety of genres and most importantly George Romero. I had the Romero episode of Jonathan Ross "Son Of The Incredibly Strange Film Show" on tape and I watched it over and over and over, pretty much knowing the documentary off by heart, even though I couldn't get hold of his films for some time. In the interview with him, Romero is asked about being typecast in the horror genre and he said "No one grows up saying I want to make war movies, or cowboy movies - I just wanna make MOVIES!" and that line has really really stuck with me.

On Creak:

Well, Creak was inspired by a true event. My wife and I were in bed at our old house and we were both wakened by a very distinct creaking noise which sounded like it was right next to your ear. We had no house on one side and we rarely heard the neighbours next door, so it was just really really odd. And disconcerting. We ended up getting up to search the house and my wife's fear started rubbing off on me, so much so that I was scared to pull the curtains back just in case someone was actually there. 

That was the starting point. I wanted to do something which ramped up at the end and I knew I wanted a crash frame zoom like when the woman is discovered with the red death in Corman's "Masque Of The Red Death."

Finance and time, or lack of both was also a factor, as with our young family it doesn't leave a great deal. So I knew this would have to be a minimal cast, in one location. So knowing that at the back of my mind I honed it to keep it small.

What’s next?

Creak is the starting point of mostly concentrating on horror shorts and features for now - I'm in pre-production on the next short and just started the casting process - with a view that once I've got the first 3 Disposable Screams finished I'm going to go looking for funding on a feature length horror which is in development. Then I've got some more feature horror ideas I'd like to try and keep doing, keep the momentum going and continue doing the shorts as a sideline to keep interest in Sincerely, Psychopath up. Probably inviting other directors to get involved with Disposable Screams too.

Last words?

Assuming that's it, thanks for the interview and support! Hope it reads okay - will no doubt require some judicious pruning!

You betcha.

Luther can be contacted via his facebook page.

Read more Thrill Fiction: Babycall (coming soon)

1 Ricky Sprague

2 After Dark Originals

3 Faster Productions

4 IMDb