MY FAVOURITE HORROR FILMS AND TV SHOWS OF 2021
At the cinema and from the streamers, I've enjoyed a tremendous year of horror cinema and I was absorbed by the following films & shows (where possible I've included my streamer source but this, as you know, often changes, and they're listed in no particular order of preference):
Saint Maud: madness and dread - Shudder
Impetigore: ghastly, atmospheric folk horror from Indonesia - Shudder
Anything for Jackson - infernal chaos - Shudder
The Wolf of Snow Hollow - comic and quirky - Shudder
La Llorona - eerie and poignant from Guatamala - Shudder
Host - innovative and chilling Zoom horror - Shudder
The Mortuary Collection - beautifully made and grimly funny - Shudder
Belzebuth - Mexican occult horror. Gruesome and containing a scene worthy of W.P.Blatty - Shudder
32 Malsana - atmospheric Spanish haunting - Shudder
The Dark and the Wicked - enigmatic and chilling regional possession story. Really affecting. Shudder
The Queen of Black Magic - good Indonesian Folk Horror (script by Joko Anwar - anything horror he's involved in is a must see) - Shudder
She Dies Tomorrow - wonderful and weird psychological drama that lingered in my mind - Netflix
In the Earth - I think those who enjoyed Doctor Who in the 70s and Nigel Kneale's work will also relish this film - Cinema
Caveat - Bold and bizarre - Shudder
Sator - much like two of my favourite horror films of the last 15 years - Lake Mungo & Absentia - the dread and unease in this film arises from a strange "credibility" that I would need to ponder further to explain myself. Sinister - Shudder
Them - Too disturbing & upsetting to be pure entertainment. Timely. Engrossing. Great drama. Mad Men stylish. Brilliant performances. I never stop feeling tense & uncomfortable & can only do one episode per night. Essential - Prime
Honeydew - Don't eat a big greasy meal before watching Honeydew. From the same regional abattoir as 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' sans power tools. Dark. Grotesque. Bouts of utter hideousness. Good eatin' for horror eyes! - Prime
Come True: Affecting Canadian sci fi horror about sleep experimentation. Reminded me of Nigel Kneale & Cronenberg. Recommended - Prime
The Block Island Sound: most imaginative coastal horror I've seen in a while. Intriguing enigma. Tendrils of cosmic dread - Netflix
The Night House - Eerie, disturbing & surprising. A genuinely compelling mystery with so many great ideas - cinema
The Night Eats the World - overcame my zombie fatigue - Shudder
The Empty Man - brilliant Ligottian/Lovecraftian cult horror - Disney
Coming Home in the Dark - Netflix
Violation - Shudder - ooh, it made me uncomfortable.
Books of Blood - Disney - much better than you have been told.
The Trip - Netflix - hilarious, slapstick
Malignant - Cinema - last third is visionary
VHS 94 - Shudder - couple of these short films are outstanding.
Amulet (US only right now but superb) - I saw a "screener" but it's superb
Brand New Cherry Flavour - Netflix
Without Name - folk horror - Prime
Room - Bradbury-esque - Shudder
Strings - lo fi Canadian coastal horror about a musician beside a frozen sea. Jamesian.
Beyond Horror, I loved: The Last Duel - Disney +; Dune - cinema; To the Lake - engaging Russian pandemic thriller. Well made, brutal with a credible angle on human nature - Netflix; Boss Level - Prime; Captive State. Great cast. Ambitious alien invasion story. Found it scrolling. Noir-murky & much going on. Don't watch while half in the bag. You gotta stay alert! - Prime; Free Guy - Prime; The Green Knight - Prime. Succession S3 - Sky Atlantic.
That'll keep you going until 2023.
Thanks for the recommendations! I can stream just about all of these. OMG, In the Earth is so good. We are massive fans of Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump. And I stumbled across Anwar during the pandemic and basically fell in love with Impetigore. He sent me on a Southeast Asian horror kick. I hadn’t seen much, and it’s been super fun delving into all that I can find. The original Queen of Black Magic was also super fun.