Best of 2011

Ooh, this years 10 best list is going to generate some controversy. A few of the movies we've included are ones that you wont find near anyone elses' "best of" lists, and we didn't do that just to be different. Every movie on our top 10 list deserves to be seen because they genuinely affected us in some way, and more so than any others that may have missed our list. They also entertained the hell out of us.

You, our Dear Horror Friends, should do what you can to see these movies. Maybe they wont be something you'd put on your own top 10 list, but we'd be surprised if most of them weren't.

If you see only one genre movie from 2011, it really should be this one. It's impossible to explain why this movie is so fantastic, especially in a short recap paragraph, but good lord we promise you it is. When "Asian" filmmakers get their horror right, they tend to nail it, and South Korea seems to be especially good at making, gritty, visceral thrillers that stop you dead in your tracks and make you catch your breath. This is our pick for best flick of the year, and you need it in your horror life! You could at least rent it to celebrate the fact that Kim Il Dong is dead. South Korea is best Korea! (Political commentary, we're edgy.)

This is a Hand-Held flick done perfectly. You will gape at this movie, you will smile at this movie, you will curse its ending! It made me actually wonder if maybe trolls were real, and if they did in fact roam the Norwegian countryside. This movie is pure enjoyment, mixing crazy lore, fun characters and some fairly creepy/tense moments together to give us a movie that really is about as unique as it gets. Run, don't walk, and get a copy for you and your loved ones. Maybe even the neighbors.

No movie this year has been as talked about on this site as this one. 100+ comments of people being genuinely disturbed and affected says something, especially since so many of those comments were from people sharing their similarly harrowing experiences of childhood with us. It may not be a better film than some of the movies that were left off of this list, but it certainly is a more important one, and should be seen by everyone. We will go on record as saying that the last 22 minutes or so of this movie were genuinely disturbing and terrifying, and will fuck you up. We just threw the gauntlet, didn't we? Watch this with your teenagers. Thank you Michael Goi, for making a movie that had a point and still managed to make us wet our pantaloons. *On a side note, MIM Director Michael Goi is not only the standing ASC President for 3 terms, but he's the guy responsible for the visuals of American Horror Story. Those facts alone give him enough credibility to check out this labor of love project.

This is horror comedy perfection. Well, maybe not perfection, but damn it all if it didn't feel like it. This movie should have sucked, because it's so simplistic and cheesy, but I will be forever damned if it it's anything but. The actors are what make this so good and funny. The script really makes no sense and goes nowhere, but what a great, amusing ride that trip to nowhere is. Can we call this the American equivalent of Shaun of the Dead? I think we can. It was definitely on par with Shaun, albeit in a different way. Less "British-y." If you like your horror funny, you need to see this movie.

And here's where the true controversy begins... "What in the fuck is The Devil's Rock? And why does that poster look cheesy as hell?" Go on, you can say it. We can not judge you for doubting this movie. For some reason though, this movie hit the mark perfectly for us, and it's a shame that a lot of people probably think it's some shitty B-grade suck fest. It's anything but. It's a small cast, it takes place in a bunker during WWII, it involves the Nazi obsession with demons and black magic, and it works extremely well for what it is? Top 10 of the year? It immediately stuck out in our mind when the time came to compile lists, so, yeah. Don't sleep on this one. Nazi's + Horror usually equals awesome, and in this case, it definitely does.,

And the second WTF movie of our list is The Shrine. This was the biggest surprise of the year for us. It worked on so many levels that we sat through it a few times, and liked it more with each viewing. It's a slow burn for the first half, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but once it really kicks into gear, this movie is a creep fest of the finest order. Not many movies truly give us a good scare these days, but this is one of the precious few that managed to. It's a neat,twisty little flick that ends up in a place that you don't think it's going to... and that place is a creepy Polish farmhouse that you would never want to visit. Netflix this one if you can, and enjoy.

The last 2011 movie we had the pleasure of catching was also one of the best; to say this movie is intense is an understatement. Pants were shat. It seems to us that most movies that involve the dangers of mountain climbing tend to make us pucker (you know, down there), and this one was definitely effective in that department. What makes this movie interesting is that it changes gears towards the end, and almost becomes an entirely different movie. No matter, because from start to finish this was one hell of a fun movie. Also, Mmmelissa George is in it, and why would that not instantly make a movie awesome? Good stuff.

We can't say that we'd urge people to see this movie, because its contents are so profoundly disturbing and would most likely be offensive and unwatchable to most, but damn this movie messed us up. The crazy thing about it is that as nasty as it is, it's equally as gorgeous to look at. It's a really well made movie, and who in the hell thought that Serbia had it in them? Go ahead, name another good Serbian movie. Forget good, just name another Serbian movie, period. Be warned: this movie goes to places that most human minds, including some of the sicker minds out there, do not go. You may need a shower when all is said and done. Still, it's a hell of an achievement.

Home, not House; the one with Daniel Craig was kinda meh. This movie came out of nowhere and kicked our asses. Josie Ho is a natural at playing a psychopathic, well, ho, and the things she does in this movie... it's a bloodbath. You kind of sympathize with her character for a minute here and there throughout the movie, but it's impossible to like her. She kills everybody. She's so messy and nasty about it too. This is a solid flick that will make gore-hounds happy, especially those that love that Hong Kong nastiness.

Maybe the best American horror movie made in 2011, Stake Land is a movie that does Vampires right, and on the cheap. In this day and age, a movie like this deserves all kinds of love. No glitter, no fruity, awfully crafted love story, no vampire proms... this is a Vampire Apocalypse movie that paints a bleak and bloody picture that sucks you in and doesn't let go until the end. This is truly one of the best Vampire movies we've seen in a long time, and it will be in our pantheon of bloodsucking greats for all of eternity.



Check below for the also rans that didn't make the top 10, but still rocked...