Yesterday I shared my favourite films from the festival circuit. Today comes by pick of the horror movies that got either a cinema or streaming release in the UK this year. Horror has continued to go from strength to strength with some of the most talked about movies falling within the parameters of the genre. Of the many I saw, here are some that I enjoyed the most.
10. Suitable Flesh – Joe Lynch
In 2020, the horror world lost Stuart Gordon, the ingenious mind behind cult classics Re-Animator, From Beyond, Dolls, and Castle Freak. At the time of his death he was working on another project, Suitable Flesh. Director Joe Lynch and producer Barbara Crampton continued the project, and 2023 saw it birthed into the world. A modern gender-flipped adaptation of H.P Lovecraft’s The Thing on the Doorstep, Suitable Flesh championed the essence of Gordon’s work whilst still having Joe Lynch’s distinctive voice.
The story sees Heather Graham’s psychologist Elizabeth have her life turned upside down after encountering a strange new patient played by a remarkable Judah Lewis. Suitable Flesh was one of several movies this year that fought to bring the sexy back to cinema and the result is one very horny horror. Lynch’s movie plays like a mixture between a body horror, body swap occult film, and an erotic thriller from the early nineties. It’s gleefully camp and funny, whilst still maintaining an ability to compel the viewer to explore further. A beautifully realised homage, Suitable Flesh is full of sex, sensuality, feminine desires, dangerous fantasies, and much more, making it the type of genre film that fans have been screaming out for.
9. Saw X – Kevin Greutert
Director of Saw VI and Saw VII Kevin Greutert returned to the Saw franchise for its tenth outing, Saw X, this year. The film returned original Jigsaw John Kramer to the fold, chronologically taking place between the first and second film so as to circumvent the character’s death in Saw III. Saw X, or more accurately Saw 1.5, was a welcome return after the misguided spin-off attempt that was Spiral. Having both John Kramer and Amanda Young back on screens was everything that fans had been dreaming of.
Their reunion didn’t exactly play as expected however. Yes, there were plenty of the expected gory traps and impossible life or death ordeals, but there was also a lot of character focus. Saw X did an excellent job at fostering sympathy for the devil that was Kramer with Tobin Bell giving a subdued and absorbing performance. It has been a long time since a Saw movie got properly into the intricacies of any of its cast, but here audiences got an intimate look into the man behind the traps. A welcome re-connection with a well-loved franchise, Saw X manages to maintain the consistency of the series. There remains plenty of devilish traps to titillate the casual gore fan, but Saw X really is a love-letter to John Kramer. Tobin Bell gives a career and franchise best performance in Saw X and has created a fitting swan song for a horror icon.
8. Talk to Me – Danny and Michael Pilippou
Talk to Me has been one of the most talked about horror films of the year. A feature debut from twins Danny and Michael Pilippou, the movie took everyone by surprise with its wicked brutality. Talk to Me’s story of teenagers messing with an embalmed medium hand that invites temporary possession is wonderfully entertaining. The plot follows Mia (Sophie Wild), who whilst still grieving her mother’s death, risks everything to see her one last time.
Talk to Me plays like Bodies, Bodies, Bodies meets Evil Dead and Flatliners, but with a more serious tone. Sophie Wilds’ performance is exceptional, the young actor’s faces are beautifully expressive. Talk to Me offers a brilliant exploration of the teenage need to document everything with their thrill-seeking interactions with the hand presenting a perfect metaphor for drug abuse. Mixed amongst the teen frivolities are some unexpectedly bleak moments as well as some impressively gory sequences. It’s easy to see how this one has captured the imagination of the horror world, and whilst it didn’t land quite as hard for me personally, Talk to Me is well worth checking out.
7. Infinity Pool – Brandon Cronenberg
Brandon Cronenberg’s Infinity Pool expanded his brand of weird and twisted, and confirmed him as a worthy successor to his father’s throne. Starring Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, after Antiviral and Possessor, Infinity Pool proved yet further evidence of Brandon Cronenberg’s talent as a storyteller. The plot joins author James (Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) who are holidaying on a private resort in Li Tolqa. Their destination of choice is deemed unsafe for tourists and so James and Em spend their days within the confines of the resort. As the monotony of their enforced seclusion begins to set in, they meet Gabi (Mia Goth) and Alban (Jalil Lespert). The two are regulars to the country and encourage James and Em to risk a jaunt outside the safety gates. They agree, but after enjoying a lazy day of sunbathing on the beach, night falls and events get weird…
Whereas both Antiviral and Possessor could be classed as slow and deliberate, Infinity Pool is a much punchier and pacier story. There is a perpetual forward motion that drives the film; the audience, like James, are dragged along for the journey. Once more, ideas of self are explored. The concept of knowing oneself is front and centre, though Cronenberg has found an entirely new way to dissect it. Infinity Pool also examines the rich and poor divide, demonstrating the power of money and how it corrupts those on both sides in vicious and grotesque ways. Infinity Pool builds on ideas, both narratively and technically, given by Antiviral and Possessor, taking them into a wild new direction. With searing visuals and committed performances, every weird and wonderful second of InfinityPool sizzles. Delightfully horrific and beautifully depraved, Brandon Cronenberg has achieved yet another tantalising triumph of the macabre.
6. Insidious: The Red Door – Patrick Wilson
With the exception of the fourth film, I have a lot of time for the Insidious films. James Wan’s first is one of my favourite horrors ever, modernising the Poltergeist story and adding some genuinely disturbing imagery. Wan built this story around the Lambert family, a unit who felt like they could be your neighbours. This year a fifth Insidious film arrived and it gave the audience a reunion with the family, and had the added bonus of being directed by Josh Lambert himself, Patrick Wilson. Set nine years after the events of the first sequel, Insidious: The Red Door sees Dalton about to start art college. During a class, his new tutor unknowingly unlocks his memories of The Further that were wiped via hypnosis at the end of Chapter 2.
The most special aspect of Insidious: The Red Door is that, with the exception of the baby who portrayed Cali, all the original actors are back. That everyone has waited for Ty Simpkins to come of age to continue Dalton’s story is lovely. His return adds a strength and validity to events and fans of the first film will adore this return. The college setting also shakes things up and adds new blood to the franchise. Insidious: The Red Door marks Patrick Wilson’s first time directing a feature film and he demonstrates that he has learned a lot from his frequent collaborator, James Wan. He orchestrates some fantastic scare sequences whilst never forgetting to focus on the heart of the series – the Lambert family. A touching and fitting way to end the Lambert’s story, Insidious: The Red Door was everything I dared not hope it would be.
5. Mother, May I? – Laurence Vannicelli
Kyle Gallner and Holland Roden star in Mother, May I? a taut and twisted psychological thriller that offers a strange analysis of both relationships and maternal ties. Emmett (Gallner) and his girlfriend Anya (Roden) travel to the house of Emmett’s recently deceased mother, Tracey. The remote country home is Emmett’s inheritance and the pair plan on selling it to help with their dream of starting a family. As they arrive at the building, there’s an awkwardness in the air. This unease is in part due to the fact that Emmett hasn’t seen his mother since he was a child. Shortly after arrival, events take a strange turn when Anya suddenly begins acting like his late mother. Is she playing a warped game with him, or is there a more sinister reason for her change?
Written and directed by Laurence Vannicelli, Mother, May I? is a delightfully devious movie that keeps the viewer, like Emmett, guessing as to Anya’s intentions. Is she really possessed or playing a sick game on her partner? The question is never fully answered, which just adds to the intrigue and excitement. As delicious as the plot is, Mother, May I? is made whole by its stunning performances. Roden and Gallner are electric together, the intimacy of the Covid era filming seeping into their on-screen relationship. Separately they are even stronger. As Emmett, Gallner is emotionally fragile and as Anya / Tracey Roden is exceptional. She weaves the two opposing personalities elegantly within the confines of the one body. A secluded and sensitive exploration of trauma and repression, Laurence Vannicelli’s Mother, May I? is a Freudian nightmare made real and is curiously compelling.
4. Pearl – Ti West
Whilst Pearl appeared on a ton of lists last year, for those of us in the UK, the film only came out in March 2023. Why distributor Universal decided to hold back the release until so long after the US had already seen it is boggling. Happily though, the wait, for those that managed to not be tempted by the torrent sites, was worth it.
A continuation of Ti West’s X, Pearl jumped back in time to fill in the life of X’s antagonist. Set in 1918 during the influenza pandemic, Pearl works as a subversion to the traditional fairy-tale where instead of granting her dreams of fame, they are cruelly wrenched away from her. The quashing of her desires leads Pearl on a cathartic reign of bloodshed. Mia Goth is exceptional as Pearl and the fact that she didn’t get a look in during the 2023 awards season, is criminal. An eight minute monologue demonstrates Goth’s rich talents and without her Pearl would not work half as well as it does. West’s technical elements are strong and when combined with this stellar turn from Goth, create a masterclass of a genre film.
3. Evil Dead Rise – Lee Cronin
Lee Cronin’s debut feature, The Hole in the Ground, told of a mother whose child encountered something strange in the woods, and came back changed. This year Cronin flipped those roles in Evil Dead Rise as he told of a mother who begins to behave in a peculiar manner. The fifth film in the Evil Dead universe, the story saw a family come under threat from Deadites, not while visiting a cabin in the woods, but instead from within the walls of their tower block apartment.
Featuring the title card drop of the year, Evil Dead Rise is a ferociously fun entry into Evil Dead lore. The location change added potency by bringing the fear into the home. Similarly focusing on one family helped set it apart from the usual friendship groups. That Cronin is unafraid to place children in harm’s way is bold, adding an element of taboo that horror fans never tire of experiencing. In addition to all the horror homages, Evil Dead Rise also features a lot of ties to James Cameron’s Aliens, from character dynamics to score, the little nods are perfect and made my viewing experience at least a lot more enjoyable. Horror comes home in Lee Cronin’s reweaving of the Evil Dead lore; the result is a finely-tuned, expertly executed, genre film that is destined to be a future classic.
2. Huesera – Michelle Garza Cervera
I first caught Michelle Garza Cervera’s Huesera when it screened at Celluloid Screams back in 2022. Its frank exploration of pregnancy and motherhood struck an immediate chord with me. Huesera is one of a couple of films that really captured and portrayed aspects of my own pregnancy journey and I was instantly smitten with the film. It landed on Shudder earlier this year and I am once more writing about it to implore everyone to seek out this remarkable film. The story follows the journey of mother-to-be Valeria (Natalia Solián). Initially presented as a woman desperate to have a child, her opinion seems to change when she finally does fall pregnant. Suddenly everyone but her has an opinion and control over her body and life. It’s suffocating enough, but then she catches the attention of a being known as the ‘Bone Woman’ and things get strange.
A horror film for mothers everywhere, Huesera captures the side of pregnancy that society wants to believe doesn’t exist. Even the most hopeful mother can experience doubts or distress when faced with the cold reality of how much of themselves they have to sacrifice to become a parent. These anxieties are filtered beautifully through the story in Huesera. Cervera’s feature debut also works for those that haven’t experienced being pregnant with some well placed instances of more traditional horror. Huesera bridges the gap between real horror and the fictionalised variety, producing a film able to terrify and traumatise all on some level or another.
1. Hypochondriac – Addison Heimann
Those that read my picks of last year will know that, along with Huesera, Hypochondriac was a festival film I gushed about, a lot. Directed by Addison Heinmann, and based on his own fight with mental illness, Hypochondriac was an intimate portrayal of a man on the edge.
Zach Villa is exceptional as Heinmann’s avatar, Will; the cinematography is lush and unnerving and the score tugs on the emotions. Absolutely nothing has been overlooked in the construction of Hypochondriac. The clear commitment, care and attention put in by everyone is testament to the power of Addison’s story. Everyone involved has clearly been touched and gives one thousand percent of themselves to help nail every element for him. The respect helps sell the stranger elements and the result is a modern marvel. A stunningly honest and frightening journey through the darker aspects of the human psyche, Hypochondriac should be immediately added to the top of your watch-list.
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