This week on our WFH Edition, it’s all about horror, where I’ll list for you a few horror films that my colleagues reviewed and recommended throughout the years. So keep reading.
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Directed by: Drew Goddard
With: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, and Jesse Williams
What is it about: Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin, where they get more than they bargained for, discovering the truth behind the cabin in the woods.
Heads Up: Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard‘s collaboration produced fans’ favorites such as TV’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Angel, so even though The Cabin in The Woods wasn’t a huge commercial hit, it did well enough commercially, and it had a cultural impact among geeks and horror fans. In his 4½ stars review, Shariq Madani wrote:”The Cabin in the Woods provides for passionate discussions as an after-movie experience, as well as enough reference material to become the topic of discussion after watching other horror movies, past or future. The movie is likely to become a part of pop-culture, and with its iconic-yet-generic name, it is not a movie that will be forgotten anytime soon“.
How to Watch it: iTunes
Resolution (2012)
Directed by: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
With: Peter Cilella, Vinny Curran, and Emily Montague
What is it about: A man imprisons his estranged junkie friend in an isolated cabin in the boonies of San Diego to force him through a week of sobriety, but the events of that week are being mysteriously manipulated.
Heads Up: Here is a low-budget horror film which gets the seal of approval from our critic Lloyd Bayer, who wrote in his ★★★★☆ review:”If you’ve ever seen photographic film being developed, you will agree that it’s a slow but painstaking process. And no matter how many photos you’ve developed that way, it’s always rewarding when you see the picture emerging into existence. Resolution works the same way, only here the real picture emerges well after you’ve seen the film. And then it continues to play on your mind by taunting you into reassessing what you’ve just seen, over and over again“.
How to Watch it: iTunes
World War Z (2013)
Directed by: Marc Forster
With: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz, and James Badge Dale
What is it about: Former United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop a zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatens to destroy humanity itself.
Heads Up: For a film that has a well documented troubled production, it’ a miracle that World War Z turned out to be a good film. In his ★★★★☆ review, Faizan Rashid wrote: “Though not quite the mother of all zombie movies, WORLD WAR Z does attempt reinvention and as a result, ends up at least feeling like a competent greatest hits collection of zombie thrills“. Watching a film about a global pandemic might not be for everyone these days, but if you can stomach it, then you will surely have fun with it.
How to Watch it: iTunes / OSN Store
It Follows (2014)
Directed by: David Robert Mitchell
With: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi
What is it about: A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Heads Up: The second feature film for director David Robert Mitchell was widely regarded as one of the best horror film that came out in 2015 (alongside The Witch). It was genuinely scary, and well written, acted, and directed. In his ★★★★☆ review, Lloyd Bayer wrote: “It Follows may not be the best film of the year, but it’s definitely a horror fan’s dream come true. For the true horror connoisseur, perhaps even a bed-wetting nightmare!”.
How to Watch it: Netflix / iTunes
Alien Covenant (2017)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
With: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, and Carmen Ejogo
What is it about: The crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape.
Heads Up: I admit that Alien Covenant was not exactly my favorite in the Alien franchise, but I also think I need to revisit it. Faizan Rashid, however, was more positive about it, and in his 3½ stars review, he wrote: “On the whole, Covenant rights the wrongs of the previous film (Prometheus) and becomes a cinematic second attempt at an Aliens origin story. The formula it applies is simple and effective – strip away the pretend intellectualism and leave a visceral, raw monster film. It works”!
How to Watch it: Google Play / iTunes / OSN Store
Better Watch Out (2017)
Directed by: Chris Peckover
With: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, and Virginia Madsen
What is it about: On a quiet suburban street, a babysitter must defend a twelve-year-old boy from intruders, only to discover it’s far from a normal home invasion.
Heads Up: Although I missed watching this horror comedy on the big screen, I really enjoyed catching up with it on home viewing. This is a home invasion horror with a twist that I immensely enjoyed. In his ★★★★☆ review, Lloyd Bayer wrote: “For horror fans who like it dark, clever and twisted, this is the ultimate year-end treat at the cinema whether you’ve been naughty or nice“.
How to Watch it: iTunes
