The Best Movies of 2008

2008 managed to give us some great movies amongst the flood of crap, and some of them were quite extraordinary. As with the Worst Of list, once you get past the top 2 films (which are the top 2 Horror flicks of the year), the order can totally be argued over.

You'll definitely want to click through to the full reviews for more info on each movie, unless of course you don't want a lot of info, then I guess don't click through.

Let the Right One In is a hauntingly beautiful, dark, creepy, sentimental, and oddly sweet film, and it is by far the best Horror movie we've seen this year.

This is the type of movie that Hollywood would never have the balls to make on their own, which is why I guess they're remaking it already. Yay, Hollywood!

I want to say so much about this movie, but I'm afraid that I'd ruin too much of it if I did... Let's just say that you really owe it to yourself to check this one out. This is a movie that needs to be experienced as it is, in its own native language, to be able to truly appreciate just how good it is. Don't wait for the remake. Please.

Oh yeah, and the book is pretty damn good too.

The French have done it again, and if it weren't for those pesky Swedes, this French beauty would have been the best Horror flick of the year for us.

Martyrs is extreme, unflinching, and it's a truly uncomfortable film to sit through, but there is also a flip side to its nastiness; it's an almost transcendent experience of sorts, and one that both asks and answers some fairly deep questions for a Horror flick...

I stand by our calling Let the Right One In the best of Horror movie of the year, but the same could be said about Martyrs. Easily.

FYI, the DVD hits the U.S. on April 28th.

[REC] is a movie that makes the most of the Found Footage concept, and uses its tropes to maximum effect, and then some.

What starts out as your usual Zombie/Infected flick takes a turn towards the end that makes it into a completely different movie, and will make you need to watch it again. 

If you're looking for a creepy, "realistic," dark, and unnerving experience, then you've found it.

See this one when you get the chance; both because it's a great flick, and that you just know a sequel can't be far behind...

We absolutely love this mean spirited little French flick; I mean how can you not love the idea of a bunch of inbred Nazi's who are on a modern-day mission to impregnate an innocent girl, and start a new master race... absolutely love it.

This is a brutal film, visually and atmospherically; The table saw scene may just be our favorite gore gag of the year (maybe.)

It does borrow liberally from American Horror flicks such as TCM, and The Hills Have Eyes, in some places, but said borrowing is to great effect, so no harm done, really. (This movie had its U.S. premiere in 2008.)

You can stick it in right your dirty poopers, Lionsgate, because guess what? Midnight Meat Train was awesome, and though you tried your best to bury it, it will have a long life on DVD as a cult classic.

The story is unique and twisted, and makes for some pretty compelling stuff, and even features Academy Award winning actor Bradley Cooper, before he went and got all famous on us. Vinnie Jones was awesome as Mahogany as well, giving us one of the coolest killers we've seen on screen in a long time.

For the most part, you really can't go wrong with a Clive Barker flick these days, can you?

Check this out on Fearnet if you haven't yet, or grab it on DVD early in 2009.

In your poopers I say!

We truly do love Mandy Lane; both the movie and the woman!

Not only is Amber Heard smoking hot in this one, but the movie itself is a cool little piece of Teen Slasher goodness that is seldom seen lately.

It's not really your typical Teen Horror flick, that's for sure, and maybe that's why Hollywood has balked on releasing it since 2006.

It's effective and a nice change of pace from the usual 
I know what you did last time you screamed type of dreck.

I'm really hoping that we get this on DVD sometime in 2009. *Addendum- All the Boys Love Mandy Lane finally hit Blu-ray/DVD in 2013. 7 years late.

I just got done watching Mother of Tears for the second time the other day, and I liked it even more than I did the first time I saw it. 

This movie marks a great return to form for Master of Horror, Dario Argento; it's bloody, gory, disturbing, fun, creepy, and a fitting end to his Three Mothers Trilogy. Now, we need more good Horror flicks about witches!

If you're a fan of Argento, I don't see how you won't like this one. If you aren't, then I still say you'll like this one, because it's just damn good.

The Ruins is a totally the movie I expect every here at THC to crap on, but it ended up being pretty damn good!

Hooray for Hollywood for actually making a cool Horror flick for a change, and actually making it nasty and gory as hell.

This movie really was nastier than I thought it would have been, and at times it was even painful to watch. I also thought that the premise was pretty cool, and I actually liked the ending.

All in all, this movie was one hell of a pleasant surprise.

In closing, this is how killer plants should behave, M. Night Shayamalan!

Other than one thing that drove me nuts towards the middle of the movie, The Strangers was all aces in our book.

*And for the record, this is neither a remake nor a rip-off of Them (Ils).

This is one of those flicks that just makes you feel uneasy throughout, and really doesn't let up on the tension until the end.

I really liked the subtle touches at the very end of the movie, and I'm hoping they will make a sequel sometime soon.

I also prefer the Unrated Cut of the movie on DVD; it's only 2 minutes longer, but a key sequence was reinserted towards the end which we loved.

Go buy this, and enjoy.

How in the world can a movie about a killer vagina not make a Best Of list? For that matter, is there any more terrifying a concept for a man then the dreaded killer clam?

This was a pretty cool movie, that almost played as a teen angst film, only with some really messed up violence and gore... all I'll say is that the Rottweiler scene still gives me chills.

It's nice to see a little Horror Indie flick turn out so well, and be so enjoyable.