The best movies of any year will be expertly crafted, and they’ll entertain us. They’ll scare us, or they’ll make us laugh. Maybe they'll disgust us. Maybe they'll make us think. Maybe they'll even make us feel something.
Once in a while, if we’re really lucky, they’ll do all of those things and more.
2014 may not have been the best year for Horror & Genre movies, but when the good ones did come along, they ended up being really special. Below are the ones that were the most special to us; some were truly the year's best, while I suppose others were just the ones we enjoyed the most. Either way, they're all great flicks that deserve the love.
*Be sure to click the pics to read our full reviews of each movie, for a more in-depth look into our choices.
THE GUEST |
If we had to pick one movie in 2014 that was both "The Best" and our favorite at the same time, it would have to be The Guest.
Read our review of The Guest HERE.
KILLERS |
To put it simply, Killers is a harsh, nasty little look at the nature of people, and what drives them to kill. It's as psychologically terrifying as it is viscerally disturbing, and if you're a fan of violent Thrillers like I Saw the Devil, then this movie should suit you perfectly. When it finally hits VOD on January 23rd here in the U.S., seek it out immediately, and bask in its creepy, nasty glory.
Read our review of Killers HERE.
STARRY EYES |
This is one very sublime, classy, and shocking movie.
Read our review of Starry Eyes HERE.
COLD IN JULY |
Anchored by a trio of excellent performances from Sam Shepard, Don Johnston, and Michael C. Hall, and steeped in some pretty disturbing subject matter, Cold in July kicked our asses in the best of ways, like few other movies in 2014 have. The excellent writing/directing team of Jim Mickle and Nick Damici have given us one of the best Revenge Thrillers that we've seen in ages with this one, and we can't recommend it highly enough.
Read our review of Cold in July HERE.
DEAD SNOW 2: RED VS. DEAD |
Along with The Raid 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, Red Snow 2 is one of the most purely enjoyable movies that we've seen this year.
Read our review of Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead HERE.
BIG BAD WOLVES |
Big Bad Wolves may not be a perfect film, but it certainly isn't far from it.
Read our review of Big Bad Wolves HERE.
THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN |
It also boasts some gory kills, and an crazy cool killer, so really, it's got everything we need in a slasher flick. Addison Timlin naked would have been nice though... but we digress.
Read our review of The Town That Dreaded Sundown HERE.
THE BABADOOK |
The Babadook seems to be the critical darling of the Horror world in 2014, and while it's not our favorite Horror flick of the year (there are certainly movies in the Honorable Mention section below that we enjoyed far more), we can certainly understand why it has resonated so well with so many people, and we can't ignore just how great this film is.
Read our review of The Babadook HERE.
AT THE DEVIL'S DOOR |
We're probably going to take some crap for including this movie on a "Best of" list, but the fact is that this is a twisty, gorgeous, and eerie movie that delivered effective Horror better than did most others of its kind this year.
Read our review of At the Devil's Door HERE.
THE PURGE: ANARCHY |
If we're being honest, it's most likely Frank Grillo that made The Purge: Anarchy work so well (because the guy is a natural born movie anti-hero), but it also stands on its own as one kick-ass movie that we already want a follow-up to.
Read our review of The Purge: Anarchy HERE.
The movies in this Honorable Mention section are among the best that we saw in 2014, and many of them could have easily been in any Top 10 list, including ours. In fact, some of them were originally in our Top 10 list, but ended up here for one reason or another.
The point is that lists are not definitive, and just because something doesn’t finish Top 10, doesn’t mean that it didn’t deserve to. Placement can be subjective, and does not necessarily speak to overall quality. As long as they're good, who really cares where a movie lands in the rankings, you know?
*Be sure to click the pics to read our full reviews of each movie, for a more in-depth look into our choices.
A few quick notes:
- As Above, So Below is far better than a lot of critics gave it credit for.
- Blue Ruin and Cold in July would make for an excellent double feature.
- The Canal was creepy, detractors be damned!
- Cheap Thrills had a top-notch cast, and was fun from start to finish.
- Honeymoon was eerie as hell, and Rose Leslie is a star.
- As imperfect as Horns may be, it's still a great movie. Having read the book beforehand, we probably had a better appreciation of what was going on with the story, so its imperfections didn't irk us like they seemed to do with others.
- The Houses October Built has its issues, but it's stuck with us ever since we saw it. Creepy stuff.
- Late Phases was a great werewolf movie. Nick Damici really can do no wrong.
- For being a bigger studio movie, Oculus delivered the goods exceptionally well.
- Proxy was a wild, twisty ride that still makes us shiver when we think about it.
- The Sacrament and Willow Creek are both great examples of how to do Found Footage the right way.
- The Taking of Deborah Logan was one hell of an effort, and one that took us completely by surprise.
- Tusk was stupid by design, and yet somehow Michael Parks' performance elevated it to a legitimately enjoyable level.
- Finally, Wolf Creek 2 was a great sequel, and we're not sure how it didn't end up in our Top 10. The world is an imperfect place?
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