Regardless of what department they work in, everyone at FEARnet loves scary movies. So we asked the entire company to help us pick the best fright flicks of the year. In no particular order...
SINISTER
"I went in blind not knowing much more than a plot line and Ethan Hawke was the lead. What happened next was me being scared in a theater for the first time in years. So much so, that I actually gripped up the armrests every time a new 8mm film was played. Needless to say, that last one is a doozy."
-Sarah Shannon, Programming
"Absolutely the best theatrical horror film I’ve seen in many, many years. Creepy, scary, suspenseful, a good story and a very solid, understated performance from Ethan Hawke."
-Rick Kent, Standards & Practices
"Atmospheric, frightening and surprisingly shocking."
- Luke LaBeau, Social Media, Marketing & PR
"The word scary doesn't even begin to describe the impact this film has. It's the perfect blend of scares, story, performance, visuals and music/sound effects. I really wish more people made movies like this. The Super 8 footgage alone is worth the price of admission"
- Lawrence Raffel, Editor-in-Chief
"I do this for a living, and still I screamed twice and wanted to look away (but couldn't). The fact that it's not the most original story only served to showcase how smartly directed it was."
- Peter Block, FEARnet President
"Easily the scariest film of the year, Sinister was able to deliver a creepy new villain and mythology, a strong performance from Ethan Hawke, and the best use of Super 8 footage in years."
- Kyle Van Vonderen, Video Production
LOVELY MOLLY
"Probably the best found footage film of the year. Good execution of creepiness."
- Erick S., Acquisitions
"Yes, Lovely Molly is a true slow-burn horror flick, but it's never a basic or boring one. The first hour does deliver a lot of quiet character moments, but Sanchez keeps offering several hints of the horrors to come -- and since Act III is packing some seriously satisfying moments, you'll probably end up grateful for those few extra moments of character development."
- Scott Weinberg, Film Critic
THE CABIN IN THE WOODS
"It's not just that The Cabin in the Woods is a love letter to horror cinema; it's that The Cabin in the Woods is a love letter that says a lot more than just "horror flicks are cool." It somehow adds a fresh new layer to a genre that has no problem spinning its wheels just to grab an easy buck."
- Scott Weinberg, Film Critic
"Lots of people dismiss this one for the hype and it barely made a dent in the box office, but I predict that people will be talking about Cabin in the Woods for quite some time."
- Lawrence Raffel, Editor-in-Chief
"I was worried that between the years Cabin in the Woods spent waiting to be released, and the obsessive secrecy of the project, there was no way it could live up to the hype. I'm so glad I was wrong."
- Alyse Wax, Associate Editor
"I was one of the hundreds of people waiting patiently the past few years for this film to get released (thank you Lionsgate!) Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard truly flipped the horror archetype on its head. Bonus: the entire world is in on it. Second bonus: Richard Jenkins and Bradley Cooper."
- Sarah Shannon, Programming
"I got to see this about two years before it came out, without the benefit of any pre-awareness or marketing, which only heightened the surprise and the fun. Made for, and by, people who love the genre."
- Peter Block, FEARnet President
"Fun twist on an old premise with strong, original writing from Whedon and Goddard. Sure to be a cult classic."
- Erick S., Acquisitions
"All the references to classic horror films alone makes this a true genre fan's dream movie."
- Kyle Van Vonderen, Video Production
CHAINED
"This one was barely a blip on the radar, which is a shame. Rather than focusing on the 'torture porn' aspects of a cabbie who abducts and kills women, the story is what happens when the cabbie keeps and 'raises' the 8-year-old son of one of his victims. It's a fascinating story of nature vs. nurture and the psychological effects on the victims who don't die."
- Alyse Wax, Associate Editor
"When director Jennifer Lynch sticks to the morality play -- does long exposure to evil make you evil? -- Chained works, and although he could probably play an effective lunatic in his sleep, Vincent D’Onofrio does a fine job of articulating his character’s own logic, sick and twisted as it may be."
- Scott Weinberg, Film Critic
EXCISION
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think that John Waters directed a horror flick." - Lawrence Raffel, Editor-in-Chief
"It's the take-no-prisoners enthusiasm with which director Richard Bates leaps into his suburban nightmare that makes it so interesting, and it's AnnaLynne McCord's consistently unhinged performance that makes Excision so much offbeat, creepy, challenging fun." - Scott Weinberg, Film Critic
"Bizarre and unrelenting, Excision exceeded my expectations in the realm of the grotesque." - Luke LaBeau, Social Media, Marketing & PR
THE DAY
"Post-apocalyptic movies are ever present now a days but this one was more interesting and powerful than the rest. Shameless plug: if you missed it, you can see it on FEARnet in 2013!"
- Sarah Shannon, Programming
"Excellent, suspenseful post-apocalyptic thriller. Very effective and enjoyable."
- Rick Kent, Standards & Practices
"The Day has a great look, a really likable cast and cements the post-apocalyptic world quickly, efficiently and without big effects."
- Peter Block, FEARnet President
PARANORMAN
"Chris Butler and Simon Fell managed to make zombies appropriate for little kids, without watering it down. Sure to be one of the first films parents show to indoctrinate their kids into the genre."
- Alyse Wax, Associate Editor
"Darkly beautiful and charmingly misshapen. Laika Entertainment seems intent on delving into the section of the youthful brain that finds forgotten creatures and wounded monsters so damn interesting. ParaNorman is their best film so far."
- Scott Weinberg, Film Critic
"ParaNorman had one of the best opening horror scenes of the year, and was jam packed with references only a true horror fan will recognize. Let's hope it introduces a whole new batch of fans to our favorite genre."
- Kyle Van Vonderen, Video Production
SLEEP TIGHT
"This film is truly disturbing in an everyday situation type of way. Definitely left me checking under my bed the night I went to see it."
- Sarah Shannon, Programming
"Go in knowing absolutely nothing. Seriously creepy. I checked under the bed when I got home from seeing it and I never do that."
- Lawrence Raffel, Editor-in-Chief
THE LOVED ONES
"Finally, this got a release. Not since the "Home" episode of X-Files has a song so elevated a story, and it has so many 'it's just wrong' moments, that it belongs among the best this year." -
Peter Block, FEARnet President
"A slick, quick, and surprisingly intense little anti-love story, The Loved Ones is easily one of the coolest Aussie offerings of the past several years."
- Scott Weinberg, Film Critic
"It really packs a punch with some clever twists you aren't expecting and some of the most disturbing gore and torture scenes you'll see all year."
- Kyle Van Vonderen, Video Production
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
"Bolstered by an ominous Marco Beltrami score and almost single-mindedly obsessed on remaining an old-style ghost chiller amidst a horror landscape that doesn't seem all that interested in such movies,The Woman in Black is an admirable horror movie indeed."
- Scott Weinberg, Film Critic
"Worthy of the Hammer name and with a look and feel that breathes gothic best of any film since The Others."
- Peter Block, FEARnet President
"I liked it because it was eerie, not over-the-top scary or gory. I like movies with a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming."
- Karla O'Leary, the wimpiest FEARnetter