(also see my music list below the fold)
Year-end top-ten lists can be so...contemporary. We have over a half-century of television, nearly a century of film, and centuries of art and music to explore and discover. When faced with the staggering maw of creative history, whatever jazzed you in the last year can quickly lose relevance. In addition, items that resonated during the last several months of the year inevitably take precedence over things that emerged at year's beginning. Still, people seem to love these list dealies, and after musing over the concept a while, I think I've come up with a way to deliver the goods without betraying my ingrown disdain for the practice.
None of the films in this list are new, as in NOW PLAYING, though a few are relatively recent releases on DVD:
Calvaire (2004) - By far the best of the French-language xenophobic "dread of the country folk" horror sub-subgenre (also see Frontière(s), Sheitan.) An itinerant singer/performer gets caught in a web of delusion surrounding a group of psychotic farmers who haven't seen an outsider in, well, a long time. Tight and precise, Belgian director Fabrice Du Welz's first feature has not a single shot wasted and remains visually engrossing and dramatically tense throughout. Look for an early cameo by Jean Rollin prodigy/French porn star Brigitte Lahaie. The high-end cast also includes Laurent Lucas, a veteran of French thrillers like Lemming and Harry un ami qui vous veut du bien, and Philippe Nahon, who you may recognize from Haute Tension, or as Gaspar Noé's Butcher. One reason this film ends up on a 2008 list is that it nagged at my subconscious until I watched it a second time—only then did I fully appreciate its brilliance. Du Welz' new film, Vinyan, also looks quite promising.
Cloverfield (2008) - Part of the reason this film won me over was its not-so-metaphorical depiction of Manhattan as a big, giant trap (all you people who are loathe to leave the island will want to get out right quick when a gigantic, powerful monster attacks.) Though I'm typically not a fan of CGI, the method used here is spare and effective, and the viewer is never over-exposed to the totality of the monster in question. The narrative flows fast and stays unpredictable throughout, with shocks aplenty. Cloverfield is proof that a great monster movie can still be made, with a minimum of means at that.
The Signal (2007) - Three directors collaborated on this technophobic/survivalist nightmare, and just when you thought the concept of a deadly, mind-warping electronic transmission was finished as a horror-film premise, these guys have kept it fresh. The Signal gets off to a rocking start immediately and never stops moving (always a joy for me, as I'm often seen in my living room, 30 minutes into a film, shouting "where are the zombies?!?") The story is consistently surprising, with loads of unexpected humor and plenty of the red, red kroovy for the gorehounds.
Naboer (Next Door) (2005) - A young, Norwegian professional, after an acrimonious breakup with his live-in girlfriend, gets unwillingly submerged in the dark, sensual world of two odd sisters that live next door. The sisters' seemingly endless flat is a masterwork of set design, with dozens of doors and creepy rooms that suggest past horrors. The whole film is remarkably claustrophobic and dense, in an unsettling "windmills of my mind" sort of way. Next Door is also notable for featuring one of the most unusual, violent, but undeniably hot sex scenes in recent film history.
The Nude Vampire/The Iron Rose - Two of director Jean Rollin's 1970s films recently made available (Autumn 2007) as part of the Salvation label's ongoing Rollin collection. Though the director's work is often much maligned as being cheap and cheesy, the fact is that his films are consistently visionary and compelling, especially when one considers that they are some of the most inexpensive productions to come out of France. It's my understanding that Rollin works each film outward from a set of pre-conceived imagery, filling in the sometimes spare narrative as he goes. If you like beautiful, young Europeans in 70s-mod fashion, sexy female vampires, crumbling chateaus and moody beach scenes, Rollin's films will not disappoint. The Iron Rose (1973) is a minimalist piece about a young couple trapped overnight in a cemetery, while The Nude Vampire (1970), Rollin's second feature, reads like a cross between one of his vampire dramas and a classic Trek episode.
Sílení (Lunacy) (2006) - Jan Svankmajer's now-trademark stop-motion animation (this time with raw meat, nails, tongues, animal carcasses etc.) punctuates this live-action tale of a hapless, troubled young man who falls under the spell of a decadent Marquis. Drawing on both Poe and de Sade for literary inspiration, the story is a cavalcade of grotesqueries, with sadistic mind games, sex magick, humans in captivity, the descent into madness, and a general indictment of various forms of psychotherapy. Fortunately, the story and the acting are quite strong, and hold together the steady barrage of mayhem. Definitely my favorite of Svankmajer's films.
Ex Drummer (2007) - This recent Belgian flick is a monster, on the level of Trainspotting or The Piano Teacher in the modern, nasty-drama pantheon. Though not strictly a horror film in genre terms, Ex Drummer is nonetheless mighty horrific and expertly done, like a punch in the face of modern cinema. See my full commentary on Ex Drummer here.
Scarecrows (1988, DVD Sept. 2007) - Give me a good slab of supernatural horror over psychotic serial-killer fare any time. Scarecrows is such a film—a good, old-fashioned American horror movie, the likes of which were more plentiful in the decade and a half that preceded its release. When a group of paramilitary thieves fall out after a big heist, they end up chasing one another around a condemned farm property, and as one might guess, the high-tech hoods end up with a lot more to worry about than who's getting away with the loot. As with most of the other titles on this list, the strength of Scarecrows is not in its graphic gore or hard shocks (though there are a few), but in clever, creepy ideas and an economic, straightforward editing style.
Thirst (1979, Special Edition DVD 2008) - Slinky beauty Chantal Contouri and Blow-Up/Deep Red icon David Hemmings star in this oh-so-70s bit of nuanced weirdness about some upper-crust vampires who have automated their bloodlust by erecting a series of "blood farms," where "donors" walk around dazed and pale in plain white uniforms. The film is nicely done, with striking set pieces and plenty of surreal plot shifts. Thirst is part Clonus, part Prisoner episode, with a great 4:30-movie vibe throughout. If you like Let's Scare Jessica to Death, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark or Burnt Offerings, Thirst will be a satisfying view.
The Zombie Diaries (2006) - This understated UK entry in the handheld-camera horror genre succeeds where George A. Romero's Diary of the Dead essentially failed. The Zombie Diaries is subtle and thoughtful everywhere that Romero's film was over-styled and ham-handed (perhaps I just expect more from George, as he set the standard so brilliantly in 1968, then reset the template again with equal brilliance in 1978.) The camera changes hands as it follows three groups of survivors through the zombie-infested countryside, as they fight off swarms, forage for food and supplies and try to keep each other alive. Despite a few brief scenes of zombie gore, The Zombie Diaries focuses mainly on the acts of individuals in the face of a massive crisis, and on how the choice between human cooperation and barbaric inhumanity impacts everyone's ultimate survival.
Music (All titles released 2007 or 2008 unless otherwise noted): Kluster - Admira & Vulcano | Mama Bär/Rudolf Eb.er/Runzelstirn & Gurgelstøck - Il Portale Delle Indipendenti | High On Fire - Live from the Relapse Contamination Festival | Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb | Silvester Anfang - Kosmies Slachtafval & Levend Op De Brandstapel | Stan Reed/Gregor Jabs/Frank Rowenta - Apoplexia 1973 (2006) | Elisabeth Wurst - Sitzgruppe | Earth - The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull | Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters | Burial Hex - Initiations | The New Blockaders - Das Zerstoren, Zum Gebaren | Jabladav - Primland | Hateful Abandon - Famine (or Into the Bellies of Worms) | Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - assorted releases | Mecki Mark Men (1st album reissue) | The Human Beast - Volume One (reissue) | Harmonia - Live 1974 | Circle - Katapult | Rättö ja Lehtisalo - Kopernikus Hortoilee Näkinkengässä (2003) & Ed Benttonin Briljantti Stabilismi tai Taivaallinen Kylpysaippua (2006) | Vegas Martyrs - The Female Mind | Défaillance - Contemplation Misanthropique de l´Humanité... | Whisper - Circle of the Moon | Elysian Blaze - Cold Walls and Apparitions (2005) | Skullflower - Desire for a Holy War
To see other 2008 year-end lists from the WFMU staff, click here.
American Zombie
Dead Set
Posted by: Lex10 | December 23, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Great, great list William...thanks! My Netflix que is now even longer...
Posted by: Mark Allen | December 23, 2008 at 01:07 PM
Thanks for the tip on the Jean Rollins movies.
Posted by: bob | December 23, 2008 at 05:56 PM
Ha! Thirst is fantastic. From the producer of Turkey Shoot. Really, the forerunner to updated vampire stuff like Ultraviolet. Naboer sounds promising...
Posted by: Dave | December 23, 2008 at 11:56 PM
No Let the Right One In? You missed out! Great Swedish vampire flick.
Interesting list. I'll have to check these out.
Posted by: M | December 24, 2008 at 03:26 AM
Looks like someone beat me to it. Let the Right One In is far and away the best vampire flick I've seen in ages. Also, you've got to hand to it to George Romero. His newer movies may be crap, but at least he stays away from MTV-style edits and snnoying techno soundtracks. That, and the original Dawn of the Dead is the greatest zombie movie ever, hands down.
Posted by: Clayton | December 24, 2008 at 07:38 AM
I guess I am in the minority of the WFMU audience on this one - I liked Diary of the Dead a heck of a lot (liked Land of the Dead, too, for that matter). I liked Cloverfield enough when I watched it, but it didn't stick in my mind much afterward.
But the best recent (American) zombie film I have seen is Joe Dante's Homecoming (which doubles as a fine repudiation of the Bush administration/questioning of the Iraq conflict).
Posted by: James | December 24, 2008 at 09:54 AM
I've been "dying" to see Let the Right One In, as I've heard nothing but great reports about it. I'd have to go to a theater for that though, and then I would end up the subject of my own real-life mass murder tale (as the perpetrator.) I'm anxiously awaiting the DVD.
Posted by: WmMBerger | December 24, 2008 at 09:54 AM
Actually, there's a decent screener copy floating around of Let the Right One In, if you're not averse to stealing. I saw it in the theater, but totally by luck. It wasn't playing where I was, but I went to visit a friend and it was at a theater near his house.
Also, Homecoming is good, but I think it's a Masters of Horror episode, and not a feature-length. I haven't been too impressed with a zombie movie in a very long time. Fido was OK, but more of a (late career) John Waters-esque comedy. But if you want to watch another good monster movie, check out The Host. It's Thai, I think, and it's all about a giant carnivorous fish.
Posted by: Clayton | December 24, 2008 at 01:07 PM
Love The Host, and I almost included it in this list, but it was so long ago that I first watched it. It's a Korean film, and part of what I love about it is that it's more about the struggles of the family than the monster. I also thought the use of CGI was very tasteful, similar to Cloverfield. The director, Bong Joon-hoo, is a huge talent; his other film Memories of Murder is great too.
I have to weigh in on Homecoming, as two commenters have brought it up, and I didn't care for it at all. The politics of it were really overstated, with no subtlety whatsoever; the whole thing was really cornball, and though I support the overall message of the piece, it's just not what I look for in a horror film...way too sloppy. I have nothing against horror comedy, like Shaun of the Dead or Evil Dead II, but the balance has to be right, and I found Homecoming to be ham-handed and VERY dumbed down. The best thing to come out of the entire Masters of Horror series was John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns.
Also, I'm a huge fan of Romero, not just the zombie films, but Martin, Season of the Witch and The Crazies too. Land of the Dead and Diary... were OK, not terrible...but not up to the high, high quality of his more impassioned 70s work. I'm all for calling out my idols if they produce a mediocre product.
Posted by: WmMBerger | December 24, 2008 at 02:18 PM
I agree about Romero. He's resting on his laurels at the moment, with no imminent sign of abatement. You're right, Homecoming was nowhere near as good as Cigarette Burns or even Pelts. I have to differ with you on a couple of points, which is more fun than laborious, since it's obvious we're both proud horror dorks. Everyone loved Shaun of the Dead, which I felt to be terribly overrated and not very amusing in the least, especially given all the hype. Dead Alive is a far superior zombie comedy, IMO, but typically I find the sub-genre a tad annoying, except for Return of the Living Dead.
Also, I think that there were a lot of wasted opportunities in Cloverfield. I didn't mind so much while watching it at the theater, however, because my expectations were so low going in, but on second and third viewing, the acting, though admittedly not so important to the enjoyment of the film as a whole, is frankly terrible. On the upside, you're right about the use of CGI. The fact that there are very few gratuitous closeups of the beast meant a lot to me as a moviegoer. Plus, it gives them lots of room for expansion with the sequel, but I did still feel a little cheated by some of the implied gore. Scarecrows and Martin are overlooked classics, though, and now I have you to thank for making me want to re-watch them for the zillionth time.
And you should really blog about horror movies more often.
Posted by: Clayton | December 24, 2008 at 04:12 PM
I'm one of those weird people who doesn't care for Dead Alive aka Braindead. My wife loves it, but I've never connected with it. The first hour is all buildup, and then the gross-out gore crescendo is so, so over the top that I just find it sickening and more than a little silly—extreme, but not in a way that moves me at all. I agree with you, comedy zombie movies have been a washed-up genre for years now, though I consider Shaun of the Dead to be a bright spot. I'm a big fan of the more out-there BBC comedies (and Dylan Moran and Simon Pegg) so Shaun was a slam-dunk for me—I think they got the balance just right; in fact I've appreciated it even more on subsequent viewings.
Point taken on Cloverfield, the acting was for sure weak, sometimes terrible, but I'm so used to phasing that out (like why was everyone soooo upset with Cary Elwes in Saw?) that it didn't bother me. I also found Lizzy Caplan (in Cloverfield) to be believable and not bad to look at, either.
Posted by: WmMBerger | December 24, 2008 at 04:43 PM
Lizzy Caplan was the high point for me, as well. And I know what you mean about phasing it out. It seems like ignoring the bad acting and dialogue becomes easier with each passing year. I mean: what do I expect from a horror movie, anyway? I'll be the first in line for the Friday the 13th remake in February, and yet from the looks of who's involved, I can say with relative certainty that I already hate it.
Horror-comedy is pretty irritating to me in general. I, too, enjoy a great deal of British comedy, which is partially why I'm so upset that I didn't like Shaun. I wanted to like it, but unlike Cloverfield my expectations were through the roof. I can see why people might not enjoy Dead Alive, and personally I much prefer Peter Jackson's first film, Bad Taste, but I think I'm in the minority there. Stuart Gordon has not disappointed in the horror-comedy department, though; I still enjoy From Beyond and the first two Re-Animator movies. And Lucio Fulci's zombie movies are so unintentionally funny, they probably qualify as well.
Posted by: Clayton | December 24, 2008 at 08:02 PM
Whoa. Too much eggnog... I'm seeing double.
Posted by: Clayton | December 24, 2008 at 08:04 PM
Stuart Gordon! Talk about getting the balance just right—the man is a maestro. I think Castle Freak is my favorite. If The Host would have been #11 on this list, Gordon's Stuck would have been #12.
Posted by: WmMBerger | December 24, 2008 at 08:39 PM
Dagon was pretty great, too. Some people think Gordon's past his prime, but I think he may be the unsung hero of modern B-cinema.
Posted by: Clayton | December 24, 2008 at 10:39 PM
Mmm Dagon...that sits real well in my memory. I just put into my Netflix queue for a re-watch.
Clayton, we could be the Siskel and Ebert of Horror. I'm looking to cash in here.
By the way, are you seeing everything in italics like I am?
Posted by: WmMBerger | December 24, 2008 at 11:50 PM
I did mention Lucio Fulci, one of the of Italian horror greats... italics seemed like a natural progression. Good thing I didn't mention Riccardo Freda, or the letters might be upside down by now. Although I did try to disable the italics with a close tag in my last post. I'll start using quotes. But yeah, you're onto something. Maybe we can do a show about horror movies on Christmas someday. We'll have to refrain from talking about the "Silent Night, Deadly Night" series, though. Too obvious. No "Gremlins," either.
Happy Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, Festivus, Fangoria, Hallelujah!
Posted by: Clayton | December 25, 2008 at 02:34 AM
Man, you should make this a more regular column (or maybe I'm just not checking often enough). I just watched Naboer and LOVED it. It was everything the Machinist should have been.
Nice mention of Martin. I am a hopeless evangelist for that movie.
Posted by: M | December 30, 2008 at 03:21 AM
whoa, thanks for the jean rollin recommendation. looks better than jesus franco. boner ahoy!
Posted by: whalleywhat | January 13, 2009 at 12:23 AM