We Quarantined, we masked up, we got vaccinated ( well, some of us ) we waited outside Target for Toilet paper like it was the 90’s outside Tower Records awaiting a new Metallica album to drop, and we made it through 2020. Where 2020 saw all of us watching the majority of our movies from our couches in our homes, 2021 saw the return of the movie theater going experience and I couldn’t have been more relieved and ecstatic about it. With 2021 stepping up to the plate, it was accompanied by films that were originally intended to come out in 2020, but due to the C word were delayed, a handful of these said films will be seen on this list and all were worth the wait. Unlike past years that I have done this list, this year did not have a stand out, no doubt about it number one film. This fact made the list tricky to put together to say the least, and even more of a head scratcher to come up with a numbered countdown, but at the same time made it much more enjoyable to determine the order. Now with the preamble out of the way, ill shut up and get to the list. Sit back, relax and grab your barf bag as I count down the Top 13 Horror Films of 2021. Stick around after the list for a few honorable mentions as well as a few other forms of Horror entertainment outside of movies that made 2021 special. Enjoy.
By Hugh Patrick/Terrified State
13. PSYCHO GOREMAN
Question, Does Psycho Goreman care for Hunky boys? Who knows and who cares! This Movie and its over the top, bat shit characters and story are amazing! Director Steven Kostanski not only created all the characters he also wrote, produced, edited and obviously, directed the film, Holy %#&@ thats a lot of hats to be worn by one person. All this hard work pays off with PG as it brings up all of our memories of Power Rangers goofy after school science fiction action mixed with buckets of blood and guts. Coming off the films The Void and the vastly underrated last Leprechaun movie, Kostanksi brings us a visual cocktail that is filled with a splash of Monster Squad, Rawhead Rex,the TMNT films with some Iron Maiden blasting in the background. I was so excited to check this film out as I saw it opening night at the Alamo Drafthouse ( thanks for the free poster! ) and I enjoyed it so much. It had humor, incredible voice acting, a spunky 80’s influenced score, over the top practical gore effects done by MastersFX out of Toronto, and a character in Psycho Goreman that will go down in Horror History as one of the stand out characters from this era. PG starts this list off this year at 13 with a great horror/comedy that knows what it is and knocks it out of the park back to Gygak. Here’s hoping a sequel will be coming soon.
12. SON
Ivan Kavanagh wrote and directed SON and it is in at #12. This was, by design, the very first movie I checked out at my end of the year cram session of films I missed throughout the year, and boy did it deliver. Here is the synopsis, When a young boy contracts a mysterious illness, his mother must decide how far she will go to protect him from terrifying forces in her past. That is all I had going into this film as I did not even watch a trailer and I’m glad I didn’t. If you ever check this out, go into it as cold as possible. Andi Matichak plays the lead role here as the mother. Now with this performance along with her betrayal as Lauri Strode’s Granddaughter Allyson in the new Halloween films, she is quickly becoming one of my new favorite actors. She shines in Son. Not going to give away any spoilers but her descent into bloody madness is priceless and something that I was not expecting to be so damn good. The practical gore effects all be it used very sparingly are incredibly done. The gore hounds out there will not be disappointed. With a shocking twist ending, Son was one of the big surprises in 2021 and makes me excited to see what Ivan Kavanagh puts his name on next. Check out Son if you come across it, you wont be disappointed. The creepy kid sub genre lives on! Good too because he wont be the only creepy kid on this list.
11. JAKOB’S WIFE
Barbara Crampton plus vampires, do I have your attention? Of course I do. That’s what we get with Travis Stevens’ Jakob’s Wife. A twisted tale about a relationship that has been slowly deteriorating for 30 years until Crampton’s character crosses paths with an ancient Vampire called “The Master.” We then follow Cramptons character as she discovers a new lease on life with the powers of a vampire. Unfortunately for everyone in her life comes with a price. That price, the lust for blood which leads to some very, very nasty situations. With a great message for anti domestic abuse, an at times surprisingly very humorous script, top notch creature design and practical effects, along with a cool CM Punk cameo, Jakob’s Wife I found was one of this years biggest surprises. Barbara Crampton apparently worked her tail off to get this film off the ground and by the time the credits scroll you understand why. It was such a joy to watch Crampton take center stage and show off her acting ability in such a cool vampire flick. Jakob’s Wife is this years number 11.
10. SPIRAL
It is no secret that the OG SAW is one of my favorite horror movies off all time. An easy slot in the top 10 of my generation. The SAW franchise ran its course, (some say into the ground) in the 2000’s. Even I can admit that it was time to hang up the pig mask and call it a franchise. I was a fan of the way they wrapped up the John Cramer story and honestly thought I would never see a film based in the SAW universe ever again. Then came 2017’s “Jigsaw” This did not move the needle for me at all. It was just another SAW movie that frankly I thought should not have been made. Just very forgettable. It also did not do very well at the box office which all but certainly killed off the Saw franchise once and for all. Then something happened. That something was Chris Rock, yes my favorite Stand Up of all time, Chris Rock. Rock bumped into a head executive of Lionsgate at a party and pitched him his idea for a new SAW movie. The next thing he knows he was on the phone with SAW 2,3, and 4’s director Darren Bousman and the rest is history. Bousman along with Rock assembled the SAW band back together to make Spiral. I appreciated their attempt to distance themselves from the original SAW films as much as possible but in so many ways be the same and stay in the SAW world. The over the top gory traps and kills can go toe to toe with any traps from past films. Composer Charlie Clouser is back and brings with him a hard hitting impeccable score. Chris Rock playing the lead role really worked for me here as he brought with him a desperately needed comedic element to the SAW universe as he wrote all of his own hilarious dialogue. The rest of the cast I feel did an ok job as well as this world and scenario they were placed in felt very real to me. The overall message and the ending was not endured by all fans but it sure worked for yours truly and when Zepps theme came in at the films climax I almost stood up out of my chair with enjoyment. Spiral is on here at #10 and like Psycho Goreman, I hope we see a sequel to this as well. Chris Rock’s Spiral/SAW universe I feel has only just begun.
9. ANTLERS
Scott Cooper’s ANTLERS planted itself on my upcoming Horror list shortly before the Pandemic started early last year. Then… it was delayed off of its original April release date… and then delayed again. Fast forward to summer of 2021, it was finally being released. I was in my local horror pawn shop essentially called Terror Trader and they were giving out passes to an Antlers advance screening and I immediately grabbed them. Seeing this in a theater full of like minded Horror folk who like myself, have all been salivating to see this film and it payed off and was worth the wait. The cast was great with Keri Russell as the lead along with Jesse Plemons from Friday Night Live fame. Not to give away the entire film, this has massive creepy kid and Pumpkin Head vibes. The combination was as good as it sounds. I went into the screening as cold as I could, only watching the trailer a time or two and I will say it helped the experience as I had no idea what to expect next as the story unfolded. The child actor Jeremy Thomas should have a bright future and his acting was very solid along with a great monster that you get introduced to in the third act, this creature feature is in at number 9.
8. THE MEDIUM
We got insane over the top found footage from Thailand action baby!! Ever since The Blair Witch Project, the found footage sub genre has always have a special place in my heart. With that said it makes me happy to have a found footage film on the list this year. That film being The Medium. A horrifying tale of a shaman’s inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. What could be possessing a family member might not be the Goddess they make it out to be. Only downside to this film it is a little long in the tooth with the run time being over 2 hours with the first act I feel could have been edited down a hair in some places. Outside of that this thing is an absolute banger of a movie. You have overnight camera footage that sent chills down my spine much like Paranormal Activity did about 15 years ago. The third act of this film is by far the most extremely brutal sequences that I have seen all year long. I wont go into details but it pulls NO punches! Directors around the world each year get better and better with the art that is found footage. With last years HOST and now this years The Medium, Found footage is a film style that not only has a heart beat, it’s not dying anytime soon.
7. My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To. Wow, ok where to start? First off, The title sucks. Too lengthy and certainly hard to recall. Now that that is out of the way, the title being the only thing that I did not enjoy about this gripping, intense, powerhouse of a slow burn horror story. This film was a film I watched late in the year as it was released on Shudder in early December. I went into it not really knowing a thing about it. I wasn’t even familiar with any of the cast which brought me into the experience even more. The film transplants you into a home with a family of two brothers and a sister. The younger brother in which is a vampire and it is the other two siblings to take care of and keep him safe. Rarely does a film make me stand up in tension and excitement but there is a sequence towards the end that involves a local kid from the neighborhood who finds himself inside the home and I was legitimately freaked out. The acting by the trio of this movie was astounding and really brought home the feeling of believability to it. I have seen many Top horror lists in the last few days before writing this and I have not seen this film on any of them. Hopefully people see this and catch this wonderful little horror gem on Shudder. If you don’t have a weak stomach you will definitely enjoy My Heart Cant Beat Unless You Tell it To. ( Horrible title. )
6. FEAR STREET TRILOGY
I see you Netflix!! The Flix rarely comes through with good horror these days but in 2021 with the Fear street trilogy they have come up with something great! Director Leigh Janiak brings R.L. Stine’s Fear street books to life in this bloody trilogy that will hopefully forever go down in horror history as a gate way to many young horror fans’ first experience in the genre. By no means is this made for children though as there is harsh language and surprisingly gratuitously gory kill sequences. I will not be ranking the three films as I am considering all three as one long film so shove it. Netflix gave Leigh and her crew a crap ton of moolah take make these movies and it shows, ( mostly in the epic soundtrack ) also in the set design as the aesthetics in all three films is just spectacular with my favorite being 1977’s which was located at a summer camp and had the 80’s slasher vibe which was oh, so great. I was admittedly worried that the ending wouldn’t land considering how many different ideals and characters were thrown at the wall but it landed with a perfect 10 by the judges. I personally cannot wait to see what project this director does next because I’m certain it will be just as epic as Fear Street was. Acting, laughs, creative kills, great story that paid off in the end. What else could anyone ask for? Fear Street is in at number six.
5. WEREWOLVES WITHIN
Horror Comedies are hard to come by these days. Even more so ones that are actually enjoyable. Werewolves Within has Horror splashed with comedy in spades. This wintery romp in the small town of Beaverfield see’s a collection of characters that are by far the best crop of characters assembled on screen together this year. Milana Vayntrub (yes, the AT&T woman) stars along side an absolutely hysterical cast that had me laughing out loud on my couch at their jokes and banter. When people start being murdered in the town the fingers start to point. Are these murders being committed by a large animal from the surrounding woods or are they being committed by one of the members of the community as dare they say… a werewolf?! I love a good “who dunnit?” film and I feel this is this years best. With great horror elements, a laugh out loud script and a pay off that was top notch, Werewolves within should not be missed by anyone. This film was great and very much deserves a top 5 finish!
4. THE VIGIL
Again, The Vigil was one of those films in 2021 that released early on that for whatever reason I just kept putting off seeing. Wow am I kicking myself for doing so. The Vigil follows a young man down on his luck trying to earn an honest living. When an opportunity lands on his plate of being a shomer for the night, he does not pass it up. A Shomer is someone in the Jewish Religion whos sole purpose is to watch a body from the time of death till the burial. A premise for a horror film so simplistic yet so good it is a shame that I myself didn’t think it up. You as a viewer are for the most part are trapped in the house with our main character as its just him an older woman who is asleep upstairs and the dead body laying with a sheet over them in the living room. What is one of the scariest things I find in horror movies you may be asking. Old people! Yes, the old woman that frequently shows up in unexpected times through out the run time got me every time and I loved it. Further more as far as actual scares go, The Vigil needs to be number one of this years list for terrifying. This film is frightening. The Mood, the score and the overall creepiness is top notch here and to be honest if the ending would have landed a little bit better in my opinion, it could have been number one on this list. If you do watch The Vigil I recommend you do with all the lights off and with a set of headphones on. It will stick with you for days in all the best ways.
3. CANDYMAN
Candyman Candyman Candyman Candyman… Candyman. Now that that’s out of the way and I’ll be dead shortly, lets get hooked into Nia DaCosta’s Candyman. Written by Win Rosenfeld and the mighty Jordan Peele and the 32 year old director Ms. DaCosta. Lets get the negative out of the way right out of the box. The Ending. You can make a strong case that it doesn’t really ly make much sense, seems kind of rushed and disorganized. Due to this it is the reason why its not my number 1 for this year. A sequel to the horror film Candyman (1992) that returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began. The first Candyman back in 92 absolutely rocked me as a kid as I watched it when it arrived on HBO back in the 90’s. I was too young to watch it then, (Duh) but man is it a classic and yes it is still just as good now, if not better. I was very excited to catch this new Candyman especially considering it was bumped out of 2020. What us fans got was a visually stunning film that much like the original, heavily leans on real world social commentary. There will never be another actor that could replace Tony Todd’s Candyman but what we have is our lead, (and easily one of my new favorite actors in Hollywood) Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who plays a struggling artist on a deadline to produce art and gets inspired and motivated by the myth that is Candyman, thus giving us our dark rabbit hole of a movie. Yahya’s acting as he slowly slips into madness is such a treat to sit back and watch unfold in front of you. The cinematography is the best of the year in the genre. And last but not least the kills. They are here and Nia did not hold back. The one kill in an apartment complex with the camera slowly fading backwards out the window had my jaw lowered and I actually said wow in the theater. Even with the choppy third act, this is still an incredible companion piece and worthy sequel to the original and spoiler alert…. Tony shows up. ::wink wink::
2. MALIGNANT
“Hey Google, How much money did Aquaman make?” Google – 1.148 Billion USD. Yes, the James Wan helmed Aquaman raked in that much coin for Warner Bros. So, what does James Wan want to do next? Anything he damn well wants. That project, a giallo inspired horror film that has so many elements baked into it’ll make your head spin around. That film is Malignant. Why is it number 2 on my list? Sit back and ill explain. I see James Wan as an icon. SAW, Conjuring, Insidious, and now Malignant. The way Wan can craft a story and get the mood just right is of legend. Within the first 20 minutes Wan reminds all of us that he hasn’t forget how to scare the shit out of us. The actual story of the film is impossible to talk about without giving away all the huge plot points, so I’ll just say its a blender full of paranormal horror, a who dunnit murder mystery, and a kick ass action movie that pushes the envelope on what’s even possible. The result is one of the most unique horror experiences in years. Once the twist happens about three quarters the way through the film it is balls to the wall craziness. Malignant was such a ride and by the time the credits roll you realize why James Wan was so intrigued to make this movie. Hey James, bring on the sequel! ‘Time to cut out the cancer!”
1. HALLOWEEN KILLS
This year like I said, did not have a clear cut favorite for best movie of the year and it took me awhile to figure out how the puzzle pieces of this list would eventually fall into place. Until one night I was driving to work and I had my itunes on shuffle and a track from John Carpenters score of Halloween Kills came on and in that moment it was clear who had the edge. It was Michael Freaking Myers and the town of Haddonfield in David Gordon Green’s Halloween Kills. The Michael Myers we see here is as brutal as he has ever been. Portrayed once again from Halloween 2018 by James Jude Courtney. This film is a slasher with a capital Slash! First off I adored the flashback scene to the original night in 1978 where we get to see what actually happened after the original faded to black. Added bonus we get a Jim Cummings cameo as he plays one of the officers. Accompanied with Carpenters score from the original it was just most fun I had in a theater all year long by far, total geek shit. The only gripe I really have with the film is that I personally wish there was more JLC but I know the spot light will be squarely on her in Halloween Ends next year. The other small complaint is I felt the script spent a bit too much time in the hospital as the mob chased after who they believed was Myers but obviously wasn’t. The film wants you to know that Myers is more than just a man, damn near close to a supernatural and I’m not hating on that. The score was far and away my favorite of the year. Combine that with ultra violent kills, solid acting by everyone in the cast old and new, especially someone that is on this list twice in Andi Matichak as Allyson Strode plus the continuation of a story of Michael Myers that I have been following along with my whole life. The result is my favorite and what I feel is the best horror film of this past year and I’m salivating for how the crew plans on ending this story next year with Halloween Ends. P.S. something that I didn’t expect but was greatly appreciated, the comedic stylings of crowd favorite couple Big John and Little John. I may even start a campaign to give them their own stand alone film haha. There you have it. Halloween Kills tops the list. A list in which had a little bit of everything this year. Excited to see what 2022 has to offer. I’m looking right at you Ghostface! Let’s GO! Below are some honorable mentions and some other shit. Thanks for checking this out. Keep Horror Alive.
Honorable Mentions
Queen of Black Magic ~ The Empty Man ~ Censor ~ The Night House ~ The Manor ~ There’s someone inside your House.
Television
Midnight Mass ~ Chucky ~ Slasher.
DISCOVERY
Reading Brett Easton Ellis’ novel “American Psycho” was one of the biggest treats of the year. Extremely more violent and engaging than the film. Just an insane experience. I highly recommend the read.
~Hugh Patrick
Terrified State 