2018 – Phil’s Eulogy
2018 has been a really strong year for both Gorepress and the horror genre in general, with a slew of great original films released both in cinema and on streaming services. On the other hand, however, The Open House was released…but we don’t talk about that.
In no particular order, however, here are Phil’s top five horror movies of the year!
- Hereditary
Sarah nailed it in her eulogy, but really, in my opinion, all it took was that moment to elevate this film to Top 5 territory. A fantastic, tragic film that introduced a number of scenes that will surely go down in horror movie history.
- Upgrade
Upgrade is just a fucking cool movie. Go see it.
- Ghost Stories
In an adaptation of their 2010 play of the same name, Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s Ghost Stories follows the story of professor and paranormal sceptic Phillip Goodman, as he visits a number of people claiming to have experienced supernatural events. Filled with a number of genuinely scary moments, just like its namesake, it never forgets to inject a sense of fun into the proceedings.
- A Quiet Place
Containing a tension that is racketed and racketed up to almost unbearable degrees, part of the beauty of A Quiet Place is how director-cum-star John Krasinski explores the nature of family. Filled with a number of utterly terrifying moments, some great performances from the cast and a terrific monster design (and a few forgivable plot holes here and there), A Quiet Place is a brilliant first foray into the horror genre for Krasinski.
- The Endless
The Endless eschews superficial scares for something a little more insidious across its running time; a palpable sense of unease. Directed by Spring duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, The Endless follows the story of two friends visiting a cult they belonged to. Veering into very Lovecraftian territory, Benson and Moorhead wisely keep their story grounded in its participants.
- The ‘Wish It Were Better’ Award
2018 saw the release of You Might Be the Killer, a film based off of a hilarious twitter thread in which two writers improvise a conversation between two friends in which, you guessed it, the realisation occurs that one of them might be the killer. In adapting it for the big screen, however, the joke is sadly weakened; part of the appeal of the thread was the way the information was revealed as the thread progressed. Since film is a visual medium, however, the adaptation’s hand is shown too early, so it lacks the punch of the original thread. It features some very charismatic performances by the ever-reliable Fran Kranz and Alyson Hannigan, so it’s just a shame more work wasn’t put in to align the film’s pacing to match the delivery of the original conversation.
