The horrors of 2023
Real life was full of horror. How did I cope? By watching an ungodly number of horror movies and tv shows. The horrors persist, and I barely do. Still, here are some of my favourites.
I didn’t think I was a “genre” person.
I’m not a big science-fiction geek - I’ve seen a lot of Doctor Who, but never Star Trek (I know!!). I like some fantasy, but Lord of the Rings is just not my thing (sorry). Horror? I mean, sure, most of my friends growing up were Stephen King characters from the heavy library books I carried around town when I was ditching school. But there are many classics I still haven’t read or seen.
I heard people saying they were a “genre” writer, and that sounded like a cool club to which I didn’t belong. Then, this past year, I started taking my writing more seriously, and when I took stock: it’s a lot of time travel and blood splatters.
So I guess imposter syndrome can be about anything.
In March, I started a list of everything I watched. The year has been hard. I’ve been burnt out. And that’s very obvious because I haven’t been watching nearly as much tv and movies as I usually do, and I’ve been re-watching a lot of shows I have already seen.
And now that 2023 is over I look back and: so. Much. horror. Have I always watched that much horror? Or am I watching more horror now, as the real world is becoming more and more a garbage fire?
I’ve watched much more than that – this is just a curated list of a few shows and movies that got me particularly excited. Not everything is recent, although most of it is.
Saint Maud
2019. Written and directed by Rose Glass
Gorgeous and deeply unsettling psychological horror. It’s hard to show loneliness because it can be boring pretty quickly. And also I suspect that it’s something many people don’t really want to look at too directly. Maud isn’t just lonely, though: she’s isolated. I think most people don’t understand what that’s really like. Glass gets it. This was her first movie and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she does next.
Smile
2022. Written and directed by Parker Finn
Another directorial debut. The very classic structure is a bit more obvious and the metaphor not very subtle, but hey, does it always need to be? It was a lot of fun, and the first part of the movie was really fucking terrifying. I absolutely love the concept, and the simplicity of the scares. I will have more to say about those scary smiles when I also tackle the monsters from FROM, stay tuned.
The cast is great. It’s always a pleasure to see Robin Weigert in anything. And Kyle “my name is Cassidy” Gallner is all grown up and hot, now? What do you mean the first season of Veronica Mars was twenty years ago?!
Blood Quantum
2019. Written and directed by Jeff Barnaby
Indigenous zombie movie. I mean, you know I HAD to watch it. Actually, it’s a re-watch because that’s the movie I chose to be watching on December 31st, 2020, to go into the new year.
Some of the writing feels a little messy, especially in the second half of the movie. Characters' motivations are sometimes a little unclear, it feels a little first draft-y at times. Do I care? Not too much, because the first half is solid and the photography is gorgeous. And there’s also some really good, fun gore, and I love a good blood splatter. I feel like Romero would have liked it. Super bummed out that we won’t get more – Barnaby died in 2022.
Land of the Dead
2005. Written and directed by George Romero
This one has a very special place in my heart. I hadn’t re-watched it in years, but I still love it very very much. It’s not my first zombie movie, but it came out when I was falling in love with them and it solidified my obsession. Again, not incredibly subtle, but using horror to talk about class struggle really works for me. I love Big Daddy. Lots of joyfully, disgusting gore. Yes, please.
Men
2022. Written and directed by Alex Garland
First of all, let me say, what the fuck? The poster is terrifying and disturbing, and hilarious in a way that makes you wonder if it’s accidental or on purpose. And that last sentence pretty much sums up my experience watching that movie. Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear are both fascinating actors. I barely recognized her and had to check I wasn’t confusing her with someone else. She seems to disappear so completely in her roles that even her features are hard to recognize - yes, I have heard of lighting and makeup, but still: Acting. And I feel like what Kinnear does could have been a Whole Thing - you know, the kind of thing where we praise The Transformation, when a lot has to do with, huh, lighting and makeup. He seems game to try anything, and to do it without showing off. And with varying degrees of success depending on the make up and prosthetics. Although I’ve studied acting a bit, I’m not an actor and I know very little about the craft, but I feel like there’s a kind of humility that only actors with a solid sense of humour can have. I’d have to ask someone who knows about acting what they think. I find his willingness to play on the spectrum from monster (he played Frankenstein’s monster in Penny Dreadful) to unremarkable very touching. In the same year, he was also playing Captain Nigel Badminton in Our Flag Means Death, in which he’s so good at being ridiculous for the sake of the bigger joke.
Going back to “is this meant to be so goofy?” I was laughing my head off during the climactic sequence. Interesting body horror, but, without any spoilers, I feel like it’s probably more horrifying to, you know, MEN? And that’s my main takeaway about this movie: if the whole “all men are the same” gimmick had been written by anyone but a man, it would have been dismissed as hysterical. And wouldn’t even have been produced, probably. Women and other genders have to be so careful when we talk about men and masculinity, and even then, it’s never the right way. I know, because I talk about it a lot, and…
Anyway, I really enjoyed the tension build up. Not too sure what the religious imagery is saying. But I appreciate very much what drew me to watch the movie in the first place, which is the efficacy of the title in conveying horror: MEN. lol
Post Mortem
2020. Written by Piros Zankay, directed by Péter Bergendy
Hungarian movie. Most of the horror I’ve watched is American, British or Australian, and I’m not proud of the lack of diversity. I need to do better and see what’s up outside of the English speaking world, so if you have recommendations, please let me know!
It is GORGEOUS, and again, I love the very simple, very efficient tension build up in the beginning. There are also some very good ideas when things start to go to shit, beautifully done - no gore! I remember being a little perplexed by the ending, but endings are hard.
Mostly, I remember a very weird vibe between the main character, an adult man, and the little girl. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the story, nor the themes, so I was very confused. Is it accidental? Am I a perv, seeing something that’s not there? I don’t think so. There is a sort of romantic vibe for no good reason that I can see, and it made me feel icky. Why? WHY?!
Relic
2020. Written by James and Christian White, directed by Natalie Erika James
Maybe that Australian movie could have been titled WOMEN. Just kidding. It’s not about womanhood but about watching a mother becoming lost to the world and herself at the end of her life. Mold attacking the family house, dementia attacking the mother. The impact on three generations of women. It managed to keep my attention without a lot of real scares, and without any big, splashy revelation or twist. No real gore either. I’m not sure if there is a consensus on the ending (I don’t read critics often, and never before seeing a movie), but the ending worked for me - and I feel like it could have been a little ridiculous if the performances hadn’t sold it.
Run Rabbit Run
2023. Written by Hannah Kent, directed by Daina Reid
Another Australian psychological horror movie. It was fine, but it wouldn’t have made the list if not for Sarah Snook’s performance, and the stark contrast with what she played on Succession. It’s probably a little unfair, but I took a bit of sadistic pleasure in seeing her unravel. Finally, she lets herself feel something! Yes, I am aware it’s dumb because it’s not the same character. And I had no doubt Snook could pull it off. It was just satisfying to see her do it.
The Blackening
2022. Written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, directed by Tim Story
A slasher! I haven’t seen many of those – I haven’t seen many of the classics. It’s also a satirical comedy, which is the aspect that drew me in, which is good, because it’s heavy on the satire, and not very scary. I’m glad it delivered, because with a tagline as good as “We can’t all die first”, it would have been very disappointing. It uses classic horror tropes to deconstruct racial stereotypes, and it does it well.
In line with classic tropes, it was easy to know who the real villain was because… he looks like this. Sure, it’s the serial killer glasses. But I wish the trope of the disfigured person as the obvious villain had also been deconstructed, but I guess we can’t have anti-ableism and anti-racism discourse at the same time yet. Oh well.
The Ritual
2017. Written by Joe Barton, directed by David Bruckner
Ah yes, a group of MEN! And while masculinity in itself is not the theme, it’s a particular type of guilt that is explored here. The guilt of a man who was not able to “man up” when he should have, with terrible consequences. A group of men, and how they deal with their emotions, how power dynamics related to class play into it, how they communicate - or don’t - around all of that. I really liked it. It was visually beautiful and creepy in a very classic way - the forest at night - but also had some striking images that have stayed with me (that I won’t detail to avoid spoilers). Another thing that is well done is the monster. They have succeeded where it’s easy to fail. When the tension is well done and the relationships are interesting, it’s never a deal breaker for me if the monster is a bit of a let down. But what a joy when it isn’t!
The Descent
2005. Written and directed by Neil Marshall
Speaking of monsters that… I don’t know, it wasn’t terrible but also not that interesting especially once the monsters show up. Or is it just me? I had never seen this one, and I feel like it didn’t age well. The monsters in themselves are fine, actually. Is it the writing? The performances? I found it a bit stale and dated. Oh wow, she slept with her husband, what a bitch. Yawn. Who cares? Isn’t everyone polyamorous now? Just kidding, I’m barely uniamorous. I watched it because I heard good things about it, so I’m wondering what the reception was at the time, if anyone wants to chime in!
Talk to Me
2022. Written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou
Another Australian movie. Is there a specific horror culture in Australia, or is that just a coincidence? Let me know if you know. I’ve watched it very recently, so for now I have very little thoughts, just vibes. It really scared me. I thought it did quite a lot with probably a small-ish budget. The performances are so good. Some of the ideas that work so well are not so much because they’re scary, but because they’re disturbing, and I appreciate that (because it’s done ON PURPOSE, Post Mortem).
One of those movies that makes me ask out loud while watching them, “why am I doing this to myself?” Always a sign they’re succeeding.
Now, for some TV.
FROM
2022. Created by John Griffin
I’ve already talked about it a little, focusing on Harold Perrineau. I’ll talk about it more, because I have FEELINGS about the monsters. The photography and sets are gorgeous and do a lot for the story by conveying how stuck in time the whole town is. But I also wanted to say: another story relying heavily on Americana actually filmed in Canada. Not Vancouver or Toronto, but Nova Scotia, so that’s kind of new! I’m excited for season 3.
The Walking Dead: Dead City
2023. Created by Eli Jorné
I’ve tried the other spin-offs of The Walking Dead, and so far this one is my favourite. Although I did enjoy the first seasons of Fear the Walking Dead, they kind of lost me somewhere. It might have been because that’s what I was watching when my cat was dying. It might have been that there wasn’t enough Kim Dickens. I don’t know. I’ll probably get back to it eventually. I also watched a few episodes of World Beyond, but I’m very picky about YA so I stopped watching pretty quickly and unless someone convinces me it’s worth getting back into for some very good reason, I don’t think I will.
So, Dead City centers around Maggie and Negan, two very important characters of the original show. Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan are both great, so I was kind of sold already, especially knowing the history between their two characters. A lot of it takes place in New York City, which is a very cool departure from the original show which was mostly in the rural South. Yet for some reason it’s the moments outside of NYC that are my favourite. They have something gritty that made me miss… I’m not sure what. (the first seasons of Supernatural? Maybe.)
Both Maggie and Negan are tough-badasses-that-suffer-silently, and leave me alone, it’s a trope I adore. Probably because I wish I had the fortitude to shut the fuck up when I suffer, but I’m not mysterious or brooding, just a whiny baby. Anyway, the trope is still mostly reserved for men although some women have done it really well, so it’s really interesting to see BOTH leads coming from that very similar place. They do all of that while wearing a lot of leather, and what can I say, I enjoy simple pleasures.
There are some nice horror ideas - helmets with circular saw blades, a hybrid zombie made of several half melted zombies,... I’m glad it was 6 episodes only, to keep things short and brutal. I’m not sure how many seasons of this I would watch, but I enjoyed it a lot.
The Walking Dead
2010. Developed by Frank Darabont
A re-watch. I watched as it aired back then, and loved it. I stopped watching somewhere around season 9, I think? This time I’m going to watch all of it. I had never re-watched any episodes, so it’s been fun and strange to revisit. So much has changed in my life, between 2010 and now. I have a terrible memory, so there are a lot of plot points I had forgotten, and I realized I’d also forgotten how a lot of them die.
I’ve just finished season 3. Some very random thoughts:
It’s very weird without Michonne, it just doesn’t feel right.
That fucking Shane.
That fucking Rick.
That fucking Lorie?
I love Daryl and wouldn’t trust someone who doesn’t.
The barn!!!
Maggie and Glenn. I ship it hard.
I love Bear McGreary’s music.
The teasers without any dialogue are my favourite.
It’s also quite an experience to watch a post-apocalyptic world, which is either a great stand-in for now or a great prediction for what’s to come, when still living like we’re in a pandemic – because we are. To see the people who have adapted and those who haven’t. TWD does a great job at capturing how when everything has changed, very mundane things like a sign in a restaurant saying “Welcome, take a seat” are heartbreaking, because they remind us of all we’ve lost. The few who, like me, cannot afford to live in denial about covid and how it’s ravaging everything around us, see those signs everywhere. And it breaks my heart to think I might never go for brunch with a friend, or go to the movies again. It also breaks my heart to know that of all the people who do, so many will pay such a high price, some are paying such a high price right now. The tension you feel as a viewer when you try to warn the oblivious character, “Watch out, the zombie is behind you,” is what I feel every time I leave my home and see people without a mask at the doctor’s office, or a colleague who had a heart attack mingle with people without a mask, or children going to a school with no ventilation or filtration, or…
Man, the end of the world is slow and the horrors keep coming.
Also, the internet has damaged my mind, because when THAT scene came up, I couldn’t not see:
I’ve also watched, among other things: Ringu, Organ Trail, The Hills Have Eyes, Poltergeist (2013), Skinamarink, Oculus, M3gan, Barbarian. And for TV: The Last of Us, Yellowjackets, and all the Flanagan shows. My favourite is still The Haunting of Hill House, despite the absence of Rahul Kohli.
In 2024, I’m hoping we’ll get a new season of All of Us Are Dead, and looking forward to season 3 of FROM, a new season of The Last of Us, and continuing my re-watch of The Walking Dead.
Do you have recommendations? Comments? Talk to me.
Just, not with a creepy hand that makes me see the dead.