HORROR 101 with Dr. AC: Dr. AC's 2019 Horror Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Dr. AC's 2019 Horror Wrap-Up Extravaganza!

Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter... I mean, hey, come on in!

Howdy, folks!

Wow, I’m almost impressed with myself for getting this done in such a timely fashion. I mean, hell, I haven’t even written my rent check for the month and I’m already posting this? WINNING.

Since (once again) I haven’t been breaking my neck to keep up with the latest and greatest, I’ve (once again) extended my field of view for genre releases to cover the last two years, both 2018 and 2019 releases. To be honest, I was surprised that I had seen as many as I had, but widening the field means we can plant more crops, if one might be allowed to explore the metaphor.

Please note: All the films listed below were encountered by your humble scribe for the first time over the past 12 months and, to acknowledge as many as possible, I've broken them down into various categories in alphabetical order, with my top picks denoted with an asterisk. (*)

However, I’m also changing up the format this year to include a brief section of my favorite revisits of the year, a sampling of flicks that felt I was watching with fresh eyes, ones that surprised me and/or reminded me why I love this darn genre so much, and to hopefully prompt you, Dear Reader, to either check them out for the first time or revisit them yourself!

As I’ve said before, in the same way that you can’t step in the same river twice, you can never watch a movie the same way again. The films don’t change, but we do, and that’s half the fun. So, while we’re constantly encouraging you to keep digging in the dirt to find new treasures, it’s equally important to look at what you’ve already unearthed and appreciate it anew.

Love to hear your thoughts about this year’s bounty! Feel free to either leave a comment below or reach out to me directly at drach101@gmail.com!

Enjoy!!!

TOP 2018/2019 RELEASES SEEN IN 2019:

Await Further Instructions
Border
Calibre
Cam
Happy Death Day 2U
The Lighthouse
The Mute (*)
Satanic Panic
The Swerve
Villains
Why Don't You Just Die!

HONORABLE MENTION:

Bird Box
Bliss
Color Out of Space
Ghost Killers vs. Bloody Mary
The Lodge
Luciferina
May the Devil Take You
The Meg
Overlord
The Mermaid: Lake of the Dead
The Predator
Punta Muerto
What Keeps You Alive

MICROBUDGET HONORABLE MENTION:

Attack of the Demons
Slaughterhouse Slumber Party
Slice
The VelociPastor

MIXED BAGS:

Brightburn
Hold the Dark
Midsommar
The Ranger
Us

GAHHHHHHHHHHH:

Darlin'
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
3 from Hell

HORROR DISCOVERIES (First Time Views released before 2018)

The Carrier (1988)
The Child (1977)
Crash! (1976)
Good Manners (2017)
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2015)
The Invitation (2015)
Marrowbone (2017)
The Maze (1953) (*)
Shrew's Nest (2014)
Tammy and the T-Rex (1994) (*)
The White Reindeer (1952)

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Belzebuth (2017)
The Black Gloves (2017)
The Burkittsville 7 (2000)
A Chinese Ghost Story (2011)
Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (2017)
The Haunted Strangler (1958)
Jack the Ripper (1959)
The Return of the Vampire (1943)
Scalpel (1977)
Terror in the Midnight Sun (aka Invasion of the Animal People) (1959)

PLEASANT SURPRISES:

Kong: Skull Island (2017)
The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942)
The Medusa Touch (1978)
Scream for Help (1984)
Silent Night Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker (1991)
Species II (1998)
Terror Beneath the Sea (1966)
White of the Eye (1987)