Top 13 Horror Films of 2015: Part 3
#3: We Are Still Here
‘We Are Still Here’ is a throwback to an era of horror that delivered on unsettling scares and terrifying fashion. This haunted house thriller is genuinely terrifying until the last third and then turns into a blood soaked battle to the end. From the cinematography to the script, this film could easily find a place in a 1970’s horror collection and matches the likes of ‘Amityville Horror’ and ‘The Sentinel’. Its unnerving build up is a constant feeling of dread as the household is haunted by the creepiest monsters of the year. Accompanied by horror veteran Barbara Crampton (who has been very busy this year) the films violent end satisfies the blood lust of many while the chills stay imbedded under your skin making ‘We Are Still Here’ the best all round horror film of the year.
#2: Maggie
Arnold Schwarzenegger. Zombies. ‘Maggie’ could have been the biggest B-Movie of 2015. Instead what we have from first time writer and directors John Scott III and Henry Hobson is the most dramatic performance the genre has ever seen. Slow burning and with only a handful of zombies in sight, Arnie and daughter Abigail Breslin play out an emotional rollercoaster as he protects his daughter as she slowly is taken over by the zombie virus.
Perfectly paced, ‘Maggie’ is the biggest surprise of 2015 in that it delivered on being one of the best zombie films of recent years and where other entries such (here’s looking at you ‘Carriers’) failed to deliver a zombie experience on a small budget, here we have two leads with a small supporting cast able to grab your heart and crush it. More surprisingly, who would have thought these words could be said about a performance from Mr California himself.
#1: No Escape
Number One on our list is the film that really did come from nowhere.
Sharing common elements with some of 2015’s other great films (a tourist trap, a serious lead role for a comedic actor and a constant feeling of dread amongst the big budget action) ‘No Escape’ is the film that has the lasting effect of leaving 2015 on top of this list. While on vacation, a country overrun with political turmoil leaves a manhunt for all “foreign” peoples in the country. Never shy of bloodshed, it’s a hunt to the finish as Owen Wilson protects his family at all costs against the increasing droves of killers running the streets. Director John Erick Dowdle is no stranger to suspense with ‘Devil’, ‘As Above, So Below’ and ‘Quarantine’ already under his belt but really pushes the boundary with ‘No Escape’ by letting us know that nobody is ever safe.