While the cinemas have been pounded by THE AVENGERS, the return of the British spy thriller and the return of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. 2015 was the year the force was truly awoken and rest assured, the horror genre was not left in a galaxy far away.

 

Blumhouse dominated the mainstream with INSIDIOUS 3, SINISTER 2, THE GALLOWS and the final chapter of the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY series (thank heavens). MAD MAX came back with an explosive bang to not only reinvent the series but the action movie as a whole spawning a number of post apocalytic masterpieces (THE YOUNG ONES and more importantly, TURBO KID) that not only overshadowed the Tom Hardy vehicle, but did so on a fraction of the budget. Speaking of post apocalypse, two films really showed how depressing the end of the world really could be. THESE FINAL HOURS was as close as a tear jerker the genre will see while MAGGIE proved that a good script and direction can make even one of Hollywoods worst actors in contention for an Oscar (OK, there will probably be no nomination for Arnie this year but there really should be). 

 

Guillermo Del Toro made a graceful return to his horror roots with the beautiful CRIMSON PEAK proving once more that he holds the throne for gothic horror.

 

If 2015 proved anything is that a good scare doesn't have to come from a a language well known, THE STRANGER and III were two of this years world cinema entries that delivered chilling scenes and SPRING was a romance worth wrapping your tentacles around. 

 

With enough blood, guts and scares to suit the most avid genre fan, the year wasn't without it's humour as WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS had us howling (no pun intended) in laughter as the fly on the wall mockumentary of a band of vampires that should well be at the top of any comedy list. In addition, Ryan Reynolds proved himself once more alongside Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick in the dark, scrap that, pitch black comedy, THE VOICES.

 

FrightFest delivered as it does every year. Click HERE to read Sarah Cook's diary of the festival.

 

A year of robots, zombies, ghosts and mermaids, there has been no shortage of horror over the past 12 months and when the most fucked up film of the year is a 15 certificate hollywood thriller, then the benchmark for competition in 2016 has been set.

 

And as the new year dawns, we bid adeieu to another great year in horror with our annual awards celebrating the best of the past 12 months in horror.

 

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