1. The Witch
This was a great year for horror films but “The Witch” was the horror film of year which something for a film that was released back in March and doesn’t feature much action. What made this film great was its creepy tone and the performances. Whether it was Robert Eggar’s direction or the great performances from Anna Taylor-Joy and Ralph Innes, everything had a very dark and gloomy tone that made this film great. It’s the best acted and directed horror film that I’ve seen this year.
Fede Alvarez continues to be one of horror’s fastest rising directors, as his latest film “Don’t Breathe” was great from start to finish. One of the things that he does very well is the way he brings a level of intensity to the action scenes. Whether it’s his direction or the screenplay that he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues, everything had an intense feel to it which kept me on the edge of my seat. This film also has great performances from Jane Levy and Stephen Lang which added to the intensity this film had. With the lead acting and direction, it helped made it “Don’t Breathe” the most suspenseful film of the year.
3. Synchronicity
This year, the horror chamber expanded it coverage to include sci-fi and exploitation films. “Synchronicity” was one of those sci-fi films that manage to grab me by the horns from start to finish. The film has very good visuals for its low budget along with a screenplay that manages to keep it interesting as everything from the time travel aspects to the love story is done in a way that it brings an interesting take on the time travel genre. It’s one of those thinking man kind of sci-fi films that is different from the standard mainstream sci-fi fare.
4. The Neon Demon
I might get some heat for this but I enjoyed “The Neon Demon” enough to consider it one of the year’s best. Yes, this film has a screenplay that goes in many directions but this was a return to form from “Drive” director Nicolas Winding Refn after his last film “Only God Forgive” was atrocious which led me to shut it off a third of the way in. His direction for “The Neon Demon” was great as the film was the most stylish film to be released in 2016. It also had the feel of an Dario Argento/Jess Franco/ David Lynch vibe to it. It also helped that it had great cinematography and great performances from Elle Fanning, Jean Malone and Belle Heathcote.
5. The Love Witch
“The Love Witch” was one a film that I reviewed as part of Film-Arcade.net’s coverage of the 2016 Fantasia International Film Festival. This film was so hypnotizing from start to finish. From the look of the film to the direction from Anna Biller, everything had a Jess Franco/Jean Rollin retro vibe which give the film its uniqueness. The film also has a great performance from Samantha Robinson as the title character. She really makes that character very good from her performance as it made me interested in the character. Check this out when it hits Blu-Ray or DVD this coming year.
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