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Counting down the finest fright flicks from the past 12 months is easier in some years than in others. In 2015, we saw the inevitable sequels, prequels and reboots, yet we also saw fresh new visions from bold new filmmakers, as well as surprisingly invigorating work from horror masters.
After watching dozens of horror movies throughout the year, these eight titles are the ones that have stuck in our mind and skittered into our nervous system, making our skin crawl and our heart beat faster than it should. What were your favorites in 2015? Let us know in the comments section below!
Eli Roth delivered his most gruesome horror-thriller to date, in large part because his cast of characters was more likeable and/or relatable. That made events far more grueling to endure when idealistic activists are captured by a South American tribe of cannibals.
While the latest horror-comedy from Joe Dante is not on the same level as his earlier classics, it's a breezy and funny tale about the dangers of holding on to a romantic partner after the relationship has died. (Literally.)
Guillermo del Toro set out to make a gothic horror movie and succeeded brilliantly in creating a creepy, squishy atmosphere for the story to play out against. If the characters had been defined a bit more carefully, he might have delivered a classic, but this is still a richly entertaining movie.
Who would imagine that a mockumentary about vampires could find so many new twists and turns on the subject? Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, that's who; they wrote, directed and acted in a very clever comedy that features bursts of glorious horror madness.
What appears to be a rather conventional dramatic thriller turns out to be something far more disturbing in the first feature by Joel Edgerton. The psychological thriller revolves around a seemingly perfect couple (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) who are plagued by a former classmate (Edgerton), and that's as much as we're willing to reveal about a movie that burrows under the skin.
Escaping legal troubles, Lou Taylor Pucci travels to Italy and meets a lovely local woman (Nadia Hilker). Each of them must deal with a troubling past, but hers is far more life-endangering. This movie builds slowly, gradually increasing its tempo and tension until it becomes almost unbearable. The sophomore effort by directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead is terrific.
A relentless attack on the senses, David Robert Mitchell's second feature dives deep into a pool of desperation and despair, following a young woman (Maika Monroe) who is stalked by a supernatural spirit that leaps from body to body. It's about sex, it's about venereal disease, it's about the paralyzing fear of things we don't understand. Or, put more simply: it's chilling to the bone.
An old-fashioned ghost story, Ted Geoghegan's feature debut may look and sound familiar -- an isolated house that's haunted by vengeful ghosts who prey upon unsuspecting people -- but a striking performance by Barbara Crampton graces the ghoulish proceedings with heart and soul. The movie is a reminder that the best horror movies treat the subject with great respect and evince a burning desire to scare the daylights out of the viewer.
