The Horror Chamber's Top 10 Films of 2016 #1- #5

Welcome to part two of the horror chamber's Best of 2016. To view #6-#10, you can click here. Without further ado, the top 5 films of 2016.

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.

2. Don’t Breathe

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.

The Horror Chamber's Top 10 Films of 2016 #6 - #10

2016 has come and gone. It was a great year for horror. Over the next two days, I'll be highlighting the ten best horror films of 2016. Today, I'll start with 6 - 10.

6. Nina Forever

“Nina Forever” was one of those very odd horror comedies. It was also one of the best films that I’ve seen all year. One of the things that I liked about this film was the performances. I thought Cian Barry, Abigail Hardingham and Fiona O’Shaughnessy were great together as the three made their characters entertaining especially with the scenes that they are in with each other. It made this film fun. I also liked the way writer/directors Ben & Chris Blaine do a very good job moving the action and making sure the dark humor is timed very well while focusing on the film’s main character. It made it very twisted and entertaining. Check this film out on VOD and Shudder.

7. The Invitation

The Invitation was one of those films that takes a while to get in to, but the end result made it one of the best thrillers of 2016. One of the things that made this very good was Karyn Kusama’s direction. He’s able to keep you interested through the way that he directs the performances and action. It kept my interest and made me wonder if the main character is breaking down or is there’s something sinister at work. The screenplay from Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi was very good. I liked how they build up the suspense by focusing on his main character and the dinner party. By doing that, it allows everything to be built up to the very intense last act. It makes it worth through sitting through the dialogue scenes which was also very good. It also helped that the film has great performances from Logan Marshall Green and Tammy Blanchard as they help drive this film as the troubled ex couple. This worth checking out if you like intense thrillers.

8. Harvest Lake

If “The Neon Demon” wasn’t released this year, I would be considering this as the oddest film of the year. It was the follow up from “Found“ director Scott Schirmer. One of the things why I liked it a lot was the screenplay. It does a very good job with the way that it handles the dark elements especially with the sex scenes as they had a bizarre tone and added level of dread. The other thing that I liked was that it had a very good cast that included Elle Church, Tristen Risk, Kevin Roach and Dan Nye as the performances kept me interested as the story developed.

9. 10 Cloverfield Lane

Going into “10 Cloverfield Lane”, I was expecting it to be more like “Cloverfield” with the found footage format and everything. Instead, this was way different and way better than “Cloverfield” as it mostly felt like an Alfred Hitchcock film than a straight up monster film. Most of that had to do with the screenplay. I like how the screenwriters go something completely different by going the thriller route for most of it. It made some the scenes intense and made the story feel different from other sci-fi films. The film also has great performances from John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. This could’ve easily been made by Alfred Hitchcock.

10. 31

Rob Zombie was back in 2016 with one of his goriest and one of his best films to date with“31”. This film was intense and shocking. It had a 70’s horror vibe to it which made shocking elements work so well. It also had villains that were terrifying to watch. This also has very good supporting performances from Richard Brake as the twisted Doom-Head. The performance alone literally brought the film to another level as it gives the gloom and doom that this film is going for.

Honorable Mentions: Bed of the Dead, Model Hunger, Flesh for the Inferno, The ID, Vampyres