Bloody Best of 2009

Horrorphile

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HORRORPHILE'S BLOODY BEST OF 2009

December 28th 2009 03:50

With so many film festivals around the world and DVD/Blu-ray a distribution force to be reckoned with, a movie's release date becomes more and more of a grey area. Let the Right One In was my favourite movie of 2008, after seeing it at the Sydney Film Festival in June. It was released theatrically in Australia earlier this year. One of my other favourites, Los Cronoscrimines (Timecrimes) which also played the 2008 Sydney Film Festival, hit the video store shelves this week. Paranormal Activity first played Screamfest in 2007, then Slamdance the following year, and finally an on-demand US release from September this year.

So after much deliberation and indecision I finally realised the only way to come to a satisfying Best Of list this year was to include movies that had had a premiere festival screening, or been released theatrically and/or on DVD in Australia during 2009. This meant including movies that may have been released overseas in cinemas in 2008, but arrived in Australia for the first time on DVD in 2009, or played in Film Festivals in Australia in 2008 and 2009 but did not receive a theatrical release, or went straight to DVD bypassing a theatrical release altogether, or – as in the case of Wake in Fright – enjoyed a re-release after thirty years of gathering dust.

I ended up with a large list, and decided to break it in half; a top ten and another ten or so that were very well made for the most part, but were missing some crucial element, and/or sported an uneven tone, and/or had a questionable ending, but still deserved mentioning. When I look at the overall list of all twenty movies the selection is actually very impressive. There were a few movies I really wanted to see, but they simply weren't available (such as Thirst and Grace). Perhaps they'll make next year's Bloody Best Of.

So without further justification here is Horrorphile’s Bloody Best of 2009:

1. The Broken
France/UK | Directed by Sean Ellis
Haunting, beautiful, poetic, and sublimely nightmarish.
Australian premiere at A Night of Horror international film festival, Sydney.

2. Wake in Fright
AKA Outback | Australia/USA | Directed by Ted Kotcheff
Raw, gritty, metaphoric, and historic, and probably my favourite Australian movie of all time.
Re-released theatrically.

3. District 9
New Zealand/USA | Directed by Neill Blomkamp
I’ve not yet seen Avatar, so this is the most sophisticated sf-actioner since Aliens, and along with Moon, the best sf movie in years.
Released theatrically.

4. Paranormal Activity
USA | Directed by Oren Peli
I was lucky enough to see this with a packed Sydney Film Festival audience knowing next to nothing about the movie.
Released theatrically.

5. Linkeroever
Left Bank | Belgium | Directed by Pieter Van Hees
Moody, beautiful, nightmarish, and supernaturally sublime.
Australian premiere at A Night of Horror international film festival.

6. Martyrs
France/Canada | Directed by Pascal Laugier
Harrowing, beautiful, nightmarish, and morbidly sublime.
Australian premiere at Melbourne Film Festival.

7. Splinter
USA | Directed by Toby Wilkins
Clever and inventive, grotesque and outlandish.
Australian premiere at A Night of Horror international film festival.

8. Drag Me to Hell
USA | Directed by Sam Riami
A return to form, thank God!
Released theatrically.

9. Monsters vs. Aliens
USA | Directed by Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon
Tickled my sci-fi comedic fancy something wicked.
Released theatrically.

10. Antichrist
Denmark/Germany/France/Sweden /Italy/Poland | Directed by Lars Von Trier
Haunting, beautiful, nightmarish, and sublimely expressionist.
Released theatrically.

Antichrist Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe

Seems the supernatural reigned supreme. And here are the close contenders:
The Midnight Meat Train, Lake Mungo, Eden Lake, Acolytes, Coraline, Orphan, Storage, Van Diemen’s Land, The Uninvited, and Zombieland.

And the worst movies? Remakes, sequels, supertrash, and a spoof: My Bloody Valentine (2009), Friday the 13th (2009), Saw VI, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, The Unborn, and Lesbian Vampire Killers.

NB: I am on a New Year’s hiatus, and will return to the Darkness on Monday, January 11th

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: lists

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Comments

6 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Matt Shea

December 29th 2009 09:16

20/20 Filmsight

Great list, Bryn. The Broken and Linkeroever are both high on my list, while I still haven't seen Drag Me to Hell... Hat of Shame for me! Happy holidays bro.

Comment by Anonymous

January 2nd 2010 05:18

I can haven't seen all these movies, but from what I've seen, right on. Although it is a shame that "Inglorious Basterds" isn't up there. Is it wrong to like the way Quentin Tarantino makes killing Nazi's both repulsive and disturbingly satisfying. Back to the movies at hand, I totally forgot that "Splinter" was made this year. Which also puts a point in my mind to watch it, seemed like one of those movies where some F@#%ed up S@$% happens and people die in a neat new way, I just hope it has some scare to it besides the gore. Speaking of scare, what would you recommend as a horror movie that has good acting and all that stuff, regardless of gore, suspenseful to the point that you get paranoid and unexpected crap pops up out of nowhere. I haven't found to many movies like that. Something akin to the feeling of watching "quarantine" unknowing to what it would be like, and alone in a large creepy pitch black basement. Any recommendations? I tend to get a little long winded.

Comment by sethtg

January 2nd 2010 05:21

I also just got to see "An American Werewolf In London"
A decent werewolf movie, sad it was more funny that scary, and gory. Not to say I still didn't like it. "A good cup of tea...just not the best."

Comment by Mountain Fog

January 3rd 2010 03:51

Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!

Have not seen many of these, but I would have to put Coaraline in my list, have forgotten Wake in Fright, must have another look, and yes to District 9 and Paranormal. As for Splinter, it must have been the mood I was in, as it didn't work entirely for me, except; the face smashing against the petrol station glass door, that was a really nice touch and when "it" was momentarily on the roof. Monsters V Aliens was cute too.

cheers and happy New Year Bryn.

fog

Comment by JohnDoe

January 16th 2010 01:36

Film & TV on DVD

Hi Bryn,

Still a couple i have yet to see including your #1, but I did enjoy all that you have cited.

i still haven't seen Zombieland which i have a feeling i'm going to dig. Shame we can't count Trick r Treat because it finally was seen by a wider audience with the DVd release this year.

Comment by Bryn

January 16th 2010 02:22

Horrorphile

JD, yeah, Trick 'r Treat was actually completed in 2007 (as was Paranormal Activity). I enjoyed it a lot, but it wouldn't have made my top 13

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