We’re now ending the first trimester of 2013 so it’s about time I should post my top ten of 2012. I wouldn’t be a respectable movie buff if I didn’t. There are three things you need to know about this list. First, I had a strict rule that only those that premiered in 2012 whatever the country or festival (according to IMDB) could be part of it. If they had played in even one festival in 2011 then they’re off the list. This meant that movies like Mientra Duermes, Inbred or The Loved Ones couldn’t make the cut although most of their theater time was during 2012, and some have yet to find world wide distribution. Secondly it’s in alphabetical order. And finally, as with everything written on this site, this is my personal opinion and can often be flawed so if you think I made a glaring omission then please let me know because I may be missing out on some good stuff.
The ABCs of Death
Anthology gone wild. This isn’t one movie or the usual three to five part anthologies. This is a 26 movie anthology made by 26 different directors. Each movie had only one rule a theme starting by one of the letters of the alphabet and it had to revolve around death. As is always true with short anthologies there are excellent, good, okay, bad, terrible and what-the-hell-was-that shorts here. Some of my favorites are Apocalypse, Dogfight, Libido, Pressure, Speed and Toilet. But for you it might be others. I won’t get into any detail on any of but I assure you there’s at least one you’ll enjoy out of the whole lot, which is why The ABCs of Death had to be part of this list.
American Mary
I caught American Mary during a horror movie festival and it was one of the best surprises at the festival. This movie is brilliant has great characters, an interesting story and is truly messed up without being too messed up. For instance the Soska sisters could have gone way over the top with the surgical procedures but choose not to, which was a good thing because it didn’t divert the attention from the main story. Over all it’s a bit of a sad story that mimics the american dream where anyone can make it big time but ultimately not.
The Cabin In The Woods
A movie that makes fun of horror movies while at the same time paying an homage to them. We all know what’s going to happen when a group of teenagers, the jock, the smart guy, the horny girl, the not so horny girl and the fool go to a remote cabin in the woods. They’re going to die. Ghosts, demons, zombies, hillbillies, serial killers, etc. it doesn’t matter how what matters is that they’re going to die. Oh and the order is also important the horny girl must be one of the first and the not-so horny one of the last. Joss Whedon struck a perfect chord with this movie by making fun of itself while at the same time offering something completely new. They even take a jab at Japan’s typical ghost movies.
Excision
This one was a huge surprise to me. The first time I saw the trailer I thought it was an over pretentious artsy movie. And I was right it is somewhat pretentious artsy movie, but that doesn’t mean you should skip it, which I almost did. The movie follows the story of Pauline a troubled teenager with delusions of being a great surgeon. She gets of on dreams of very disturbing surgeries. Those dreams, and her conversations with god, make up the artsy parts of the movie and in fact they’re not bad at all and make a perfect image of her disturbed mind. I don’t want to say much about the movie but don’t expect to be scared during it, it’s not one of those fast popcorn scary movies that you forget on your way home from the theater this one will haunt your dreams and you won’t forget it anytime soon. And by the way, AnnaLynne McCord, wow… I’ve never seen her other work but here she does a perfect job with Pauline.
Frankenweenie
An animation movie made for kids in a best horror movie of 2012 list? Yes. Frankenweenie is as eerie as they come. This is a perfect movie that showcases the amazing range that horror can have. An heart-aching story about the love between a boy and his dog and the hard time he has dealing with his death is taken to the extreme by the master of horror for children Tim Burton. Most of the characters in this story are really disturbing (that girl and her cat gave me goosebumps) and you get plenty of monsters and scary stuff on screen. If your kids can handle this stuff and most kids can (lets face it, most kids stories are terrifying and filled with dragons, witches, monsters and wolves) you should definitely watch this with them. It’s right up there with Nightmare Before Christmas.
The Grey
The Grey doesn’t look like a typical horror movie and maybe that’s its best strength. There’s no supernatural or mystical entities, no gore, and the way it’s filmed doesn’t remind you of an horror movie. But it has soul and is terrifying nonetheless. A group of men crash-lands in the middle of wolf territory and tries their best to survive. The wolves pick them, one by one, first the weak and stupid and leaving the strong for last. Its a harrowing tale of survival and despair against an unforgiving relentless enemy. Plus you get to hear Liam Neeson saying this poem “Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day.” just before fist-fighting a wolf. Can’t top that.
John Dies At The End
John Dies at the End tells the story of two college dropouts who find themselves the unwilling saviors of Earth after taking Soy Sauce a drug that allows them to reach a higher state of mind and travel, or be I’m not exactly sure, in different dimensions. It’s an hallucinogenic induced trip through multidimensions meeting zombies, ghosts, mutants, stoned Jamaicans, naked girls and animal-machine chimeras while dodging slugs, meat demons and penis shaped doorknobs… and what a ride that is! Don’t expect logic and reason, they have no place in the world(s) of John Dies at the End. You may try to make sense of the narrative but no matter what you try you’ll always be left wondering what exactly have you seen by the end. If you like that sort of movie you’ll love this one. It’s the kind of movie that is sure to be enjoyed by those that know what they’re going into and hated by those that picked the movie during the line at the ticket office. This will be a cult movie without a doubt.
Sinister
I had my doubts about including this one here but I’ll get to that later. What to say about Sinister? It’s a very disturbing movie filled with terrible deaths and a good story holding them together. Ethan Hawke delivers on his role as a real crime writer who had is spotlight moment 10 years ago and is trying to get them back. He discovers a box filled with snuff movies and hopes that they’ll give him a great book. But things aren’t always what they seem as he learns the hard way. It’s not a perfect movie because it uses some of the familiar horror tropes but I think it is one of the best of 2012. There’s one major flaw though. The marketing department or more specifically whoever designed the poster and cover for the movie. If you’ve seen the cover then you’ll know how it will end without even looking at the movie. I did the test and showed the cover to someone who didn’t see the movie and asked them how it will end and they guessed it. This ruined a perfectly good movie for me. If you can somehow watch this without watching the cover then please do. And by the way that’s not the usual cover.
V/H/S
Another anthology but this time less movies, more specifically five movies plus one to try and glue them together. A group of stupid criminals enter a house to steal a VHS tape only to find hundreds of them and so they start watching them. It’s in its essence an anthology of found footage movies but all of them have very different subjects. There’s some gems here, the first Amateur Night and the fourth The Sick Thing that Happened to Emily When She Was Younger stand out from the rest but the others aren’t bad at all. Maybe just suffering a little too much of the shaky cam/bad tape syndromes. All in all it’s a very entertaining movie and one of the best in the found footage genre and should be watched unless you’re completely fed up with that genre in which case you should skip it.
The Woman in Black
I have to admit, being a fan of Harry Potter I had to see this movie because Daniel Radcliffe was in it. I wasn’t expecting much but boy was I mistaken. Radcliffe delivers an extremely haunting performance. His skinny body, pale white skin and those piercing eyes make for a very ghastly visage. Paired with one of the most dark (in a good way, not like most found footage flicks) movies I’ve seen and you’ve got a perfect ghost story. I don’t want to say much about the movie because it could blemish the experience but everything in the movie, from the mansion to the swamp, the village and its dwellers contribute perfectly to the thick and dark atmosphere of The Woman in Black. Well done indeed.
gore with soul 
I’ve seen 6 out of the 10 and would agree that they be on the list. Haven’t seen John Dies, The Grey, American Mary or ABC’s but will get to them in time.
Trust me you won’t be disappointed. ABC’s have their ups and downs but the ups more than make up for the downs, John Dies at the End is an acid trip to say the least. The Grey gives a great performance by Liam Neeson and American Mary is all kinds of awesome. Nothing bad can come from seeing them.
Awesome list. I saw the ABCs of Death at the Toronto International Film Festival and it blew my mind, absolutely incredible. I enjoyed the Woman in Black and loved V/H/S. Cabin in the Woods was possibly the best of 2012, while Sinister had its moments. Any more info on Excision? Is it worth seeing? I also checked out Aftershock at TIFF, the new film produced, written, and starring Eli Roth, you should definitely check that one out if you haven’t. Great blog by the way, I am now a follower. Come check out my film blog, hopefully you’ll like what you see.
Thank you for following my blog and your kind words!
Yes, Excision is definitely worth seeing. I don’t want to say much about it because it might ruin the experience but it’s one of those where you have a hard time getting up at the end.
I’ll check out Aftershock and tell you what I think!
I thought ABCs of Death was a bit sporadic, but loved the toilet monster short! Pure genius, some of the other entries weren’t up to par, but it was a good showcase. Loved John Dies in the End, such a bizarre move hehe
Yes T for Toilet was incredible. It’s also interesting that all the other entries were “offered” to the directors but T for Toilet came out from an open competition for a spot in the ABCs of Death. And thanks for stopping by!