Already in the month of December and with not much more waiting to be released in what’s left of the year, the moment has come to revisit the horror movies offered this year and to choose the top 10. In this list, only horror movies that had a wide theater distribution will be considered, but we have also prepared the list for the top 10 independent horror movies of 2019.
10. “Zombieland: Double Tap”
Ten years after the success of “Zombieland” arrives the sequel “Zombieland: Double Tap”. In the sequel not much has changed, so much in the story as in the formula that they reuse to create it. A worthy sequel for its predecessor, where comedy and graphic violence are organically intertwined, but more of it was expected, especially considering the long wait time.
9. “Escape Room”
I wasn’t expecting much of “Escape Room”, but it was one of the most fun of the year. The creativity while elaborating the rooms the protagonists must overcome is great and the way that it keeps the tension in all of them is excellent. The only weak point of the movie is the strange ending, which leaves the road paved for a sequel, which has already been announced for August 2020.
8. “Annabelle Comes Home”
Not always does Conjuring universe movies manage to get into the best of the year lists, as with the example of this year’s “The Curse of La Llorona”, that is one of 2019’s letdowns. “Annabelle Comes Home” without being one of the best movies in this universe manages to snuggle into this list by virtue of how effective and creative its jump scares are, some interesting creatures, and little more. The plot has no weight in the Conjuring universe and it seems like a way to throw characters to see what the public reaction is and decide which of them the next movies will be about.
7. “47 Meters Down: Uncaged”
“47 Meters Down: Uncaged” will not feature in many lists about the best movies of this year, but this should not get you from enjoying it. If in “47 Meters Down” the sense of claustrophobia of being underwater in a cage being stalked by great white sharks was used to the extreme, this unrelated sequel takes it to another level. The constant tension and the unexpected turns make “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” an excellent movie to watch with the lights off and the volume up.
6. “It: Chapter Two”
Quite below what “It” managed to achieve in 2017 but making its way among the best of the year. Its unnecessarily long runtime together with too much CGI and some questionable decisions in the direction of the plot ends up affecting it, but it still manages to create memorable sequences with the frightening Pennywise as the center of them all.
5. “Doctor Sleep”
“Doctor Sleep” is the sequel to “The Shining” that no one expected, and no one asked for. Mike Flannagan gets into this project with the weight of having to pay homage to the book and movie of “The Shining”, that are both classics, and based on what is considered one of the worst books by Stephen King. With all of this against him, Flanagan assumes the necessary homages and is still able to give it its own style to a movie that ended up being a lot better than expected. This is one of the directors that keeps taking huge steps in his career in horror cinema.
4. “Ready or Not”
With a concept that seemed absurd, “Ready or Not” manages to become one of the surprises and most fun movies of the year. Even with its good dose of comedy, the movie is violent and explicit as we see the physical and mental wear and tear of newlywed Grace. The movie is intense and captivating, and the third act is full madness. The only warning ahead is to watch it without watching the trailer, as it reveals way more than what it should about the plot.
3. “Us”
Jordan Peele again surprises the world of horror cinema with another excellent movie. This year he does not get to the coveted number one spot as he did with “Get Out”, but in our list is in the top three. In “Us” Peele gets deeper into horror territory and consolidates as one of the most promising directors in this genre with an original idea full of classic horror cinema references.
2. “Crawl”
As what happened with many people, the new project from Alexandre Aja didn’t catch my attention, especially after seeing that it would be a creature feature that brings memories from his last work in this subgenre in “Piranha 3D”. However, with “Crawl” he shows that he is still capable of making a great movie full of tension in which not even the extensive use of CGI affects its enjoyment. “Crawl” is the most pleasant surprise of the year and let’s hope that this is a turning point in the career of Aja that takes him to keep making great movies such as this one.
1. “Midsommar”
In the process of preparing this list there was plenty of reflection to decide which movies should occupy certain spots, but with the number one spot there was no debate. Ari Aster again dominates horror cinema, as he did with “Hereditary”, and with “Midsommar” he shows that he can do it in darkness as well as in full daylight. The vibrant saturated colors contrast with the strange and wacky story, that is one of the most original in recent times. Not only this is the best horror movie of 2019, but it can already be considered a contemporary classic.
Do you agree with our list? Let us know what movies of the list do you think should not have been a part of it and what movies that are not in it should have been a part of it.
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