Spooky season is here! What better way to celebrate then by binge watching horror movies? My particular genre of choice is the classic Creature Feature. Something about an animal or beast menacing people just brings the primal fear out of all of us. There are many classics - JAWS, King King, Cujo...the list goes on, but there are several unique new monsters joining the ranks in the last ten years that I thought deserved some recognition. Here are 10 of my recent favorites.
The Ritual
A bunch of hikers in Sweden get more than they bargain for when they come across some freaky Nordic runes, animal sacrifices, and strange villagers who worship an ancient God known as Modor. This monster is one of the freakiest things ever imagined. It really goes beyond description, and is really unsettling.
Nope
A brother and sister who own a horse breeding ranch begin to see strange things in the sky. Their horses start going missing, and odd occurrences around the farm lead them to believe they are being watched by an alien space craft. Jordan Peele outdoes himself with this one. It's a unique take on the classic alien visitor story. The ending is unexpected, and the slow burn suspense had me clutching my seat.
Beast
I love a good animal attack movie, mostly because it can and does happen in real life. Beast follows a widowed father and his two daughters on a trip to Africa gone wrong. They are stalked and terrorized by a pissed off lion that has lost his entire pride to poachers. The CGI in this is on point, and the brutal man vs. beast story line is awesome if you love watching nature get revenge.
Prey
This one got a lot of hype, and for good reason. The last couple of Predator movies were a bit of a wash, but this new concept worked extremely well. In the 1700s, a less evolved Predator lands in the old west and starts hunting down a group of Comanches and fur trappers. The main character, Naru, uses mainly her wits to fight back, and the result is a heart-pounding success.
It
Though this is a remake based on the well known Stephen King novel, It doesn't disappoint. It is actually two movies, Chapter 1 & 2, and I like to focus on Chapter 1, since I found it to be far more terrifying and downright brutal. An evil being from another dimension takes the form of a clown called Pennywise, and literally feeds on the fear and suffering of children. If It doesn't get you sweating, nothing will.
Krampus
Okay, so technically this is a Christmas movie, but it works equally well for Halloween. Based on the German anti-Santa demon who punishes bad children at Christmas, this story has a really dark take. It's also funny, so if you like sick humor, this is a good one for you. The ending stuck with me for a long time after this one.
A Quiet Place
Aliens that hunt by sound have taken over the world, and this movie follows the story of one family as they try to survive in utter silence. The whole movie is one long held breath. It's bloody, its disturbing, and it's a unique concept of the alien invader story. There are some pretty shocking and cringe-worthy moments.
The Monster
Okay, so the actual monster in this movie is kind of hokey, but the story set-up around the arrival of the creature is horrific in and of itself. It follows the story of a mother and daughter with a chaotic relationship who get stranded in the woods on the side of the road. A terrifying unexplained creature begins to stalk them, and they have to rely on each other for survival. This one is a bit triggering. It deals with substance abuse, child abuse, and other touchy subjects.
Wer
Werewolf movies are always a go-to for me. When I learned of Wer, I was on it in a heartbeat, and surprisingly, I wasn't disappointed. A lot of werewolf movies are hokey and kind of silly, but this one is stone serious and reveals the curse of the werewolf as a sort of genetic disease that doesn't cause a transformation in the traditional sense. I actually screamed at a few of the jump scares, and that's hard to do to me nowadays.
Antlers
I didn't know what to expect with Antlers. I had a feeling it had to do with a Wendigo, which it did. But most of the horror comes from what happens around the Wendigo's arrival. It deals with mental illness, neglect, bullying, and other real life subjects, and the horror aspect of it is really hard to watch. If you like your horror on the disturbing side, you'll enjoy this one.
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