Horror

is perhaps the genre in which B-tier films find the most appreciation today, a trend that started with low-budget productions in the ’50s. Despite being a genre that often relies heavily on cinematic effects to bring people’s anxieties and fears to life, the culture of making horror B-movies never fizzled out. From James Gunn to James Cameron, many Hollywood A-list filmmakers got their start in the industry making horror B-movies. When talking about the best horror films of the past 10 years, for instance, such movies rarely come up, but love for them is still strong among horror buffs.

Low-budget productions promise truly unhinged and experimental filmmaking because studio intervention is minimal. While some of the best A24 movie performances have come from intellectual horror films with mind-boggling concepts executed with finesse, it’s mostly the B-movies that have gained a cult following. However, these movies are often harshly criticized too, for being poorly made or ill-conceived. While I often agree with such criticisms, I do believe many horror films are unfairly and excessively hated.

10

AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Directed By Paul W. S. Anderson

Paul W. S. Anderson has made some of the most hated horror movies in contemporary times. Apart from producing all six Resident Evil movies, he’s directed four of them. While most of those films are far from perfect, they’re not nearly as bad as disgruntled netizens and fans of the games will have you believe. Even though he directed Event Horizon, which is much more loved, it makes sense that his jab at an Alien movie would also receive a lot of unfair flack.

Yes, Alien and Aliens are the incredible horror films that introduced the world to Ellen Ripley, a movie character that helped reshape genre expectations. Similarly, Predator is perhaps one of the best ’80s action movies with a memorable monster and beautifully executed cinematic tension. So, something that looks like AVP: Alien vs. Predator is already not going to live up to their standards. But why must it? The wacky over-the-top fighting and the characterization give it good entertainment value — I don’t see as much hate for Godzilla vs. King Kong!

9

Scream 3 (2000)

Directed By Wes Craven

The Scream franchise is known for its witty meta-humor and commentary on the state of contemporary slasher cinema. Ghostface, created by Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, is a unique horror movie villain in that he becomes a placeholder for the most recent killer. Ghostface is his own idenтιтy though, because irrespective of who is under the mask, he always presents himself as the same Ghostface. So, yes, such a smartly designed character almost becoming a gimmick for a messy Hollywood revenge story isn’t ideal.

The villain’s backstory and forced connection to Sidney Prescott’s past doesn’t help the movie. However, Scream 3 features an interesting exploration of power dynamics in Hollywood and introduces Ghostface’s scariest tactic: the voice changer. His ability to mimic anyone adds an extra layer of paranoia that makes the mystery element even more compelling. Moreover, Carrie Fisher’s appearance in Scream 3 is one of the best surprise movie cameos ever. It’s not the best Scream film, but Scream 3 isn’t at the bottom of the list for me.

8

Bride Of Chucky (1998)

Directed By Ronny Yu

Child’s Play is a horror movie that hits differently as a parent because of the terrifying idea of a young boy being manipulated by and forced to live with a serial killer. The concept, created by Don Mancini, is quite whimsical, but the doll, Chucky, contains the soul of a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ serial killer, who uses people’s lack of suspicion of a doll to continue his streak of killings. Despite the potential for hilarity, the original Child’s Play trilogy focuses on the gory and scary aspect of a doll becoming murderous.

This all changes with Bride of Chucky, which is also written by Mancini, when the tone shifts quite drastically. However, I don’t see that as a bad thing, necessarily. The premise of a murderous children’s toy possessed by a serial killer has significant potential for comedy, and Bride of Chucky explores that angle. Moving away from Andy’s storyline also gives the film space to develop Chucky as a character. Moreover, Tiffany’s makeover scene set to Blondie’s Call Me is so iconic, I often revisit the film just to watch it.

7

The Village (2004)

Directed By M. Night Shyamalan

By the time Shyamalan made The Village, he had picked up a reputation for creating horror movies with the ultimate twist ending that would make viewers reᴀssess everything they had seen. The Sixth Sense is so famous for its conclusion that I knew the twist long before I ever saw the movie. However, just because some of his films have such fantastic twists doesn’t mean he owes his audience such an ending every time.

A horror movie with an incredible ensemble cast, The Village is a fascinating exploration of the perils of ignoring reality for the sake of harmony and joy. I consider myself lucky that I didn’t watch Shyamalan’s movies in order and didn’t expect a mind-boggling twist. I wasn’t disappointed by The Village at all, and find it utterly relevant even today, over two decades after its release. That stabbing scene is reason enough to hold the film in high regard. I still remember gasping audibly when I first saw it.

6

Jason X (2001)

Directed By James Isaac

Jason Voorhees is a terrifying camp slasher villain who belongs on earth among amorous campers who will be his victims. Says who? Why can’t he go to outer space and go on a murderous rampage there? We’re talking about a guy who died, was buried, and then came back to life when his corpse was hit by lightning while he was being dug out. Friday the 13th is perhaps the only serious entry in the franchise, following a grieving mother’s misguided attempt at catharsis through the slaughter of the young campers responsible for her son’s death.

Ever since then, the villain has been a virtually immortal zombie responsible for some of the most gruesome deaths in 1980s horror movies. Among them is the iconic sleeping bag kill from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood. Jason X doesn’t just pay homage to that but almost upgrades it with holographic imagery. Goofy shenanigans have defined the franchise, and I for one, loved the change of scenery. Innovative and brutal kills make a good Friday the 13th film, and Jason X delivers. No one can forget the iconic liquid nitrogen face smash.

5

Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982)

Directed By Tommy Lee Wallace

Back when movie trivia wasn’t as easily available at the tips of our fingers, in 1982, when viewers first saw Halloween III: Season of the Witch, they dismissed it because Michael Myers wasn’t present. They didn’t know that Carpenter had originally planned to make an anthology series of movies set around the day of Halloween. The only reason he was sort of forced to write a sequel to Halloween is because of Michael Myers’ popularity.

Now, I love that we have so many movies starring Michael Myers, because he’s probably my favorite recurring horror villain after Ghostface. However, I still wish Halloween III: Season of the Witch hadn’t flopped, because I would have loved to see more of Carpenter’s planned anthology. The film uses folklore and corporate witchery to explore the pitfalls of capitalist greed, and it’s impossible to hate that iconic downer ending.

4

The Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre 2 (1986)

Directed By Tobe Hooper

Tobe Hooper’s seminal work, The Texas Chain Saw Mᴀssacre, is a classic horror movie that will always be scary. Leatherface is a notorious horror movie villain whose legacy is an ever-growing group of terrified and fascinated fans. The sight of him chasing after the kids in the first film, with the roaring buzzsaw, became an unforgettable image that legions of horror buffs have recreated every year on Halloween.

However, Hooper himself didn’t plan to make a movie with such a serious tone, even though the grounded direction makes one wonder how he could have intended anything else. So, the sequel he made features a drastic tonal shift. The twisted sense of humor that is much more subtly present in the first film has been dialed up to 11 in The Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre 2, but I don’t see why that’s a reason to hate it. Yes, the characters feel like caricatures of themselves, but it’s still entertaining, just funnier than it is scary.

3

Saw VI (2009)

Directed By Kevin Greutert

Between 2004 and 2010, there were seven Saw movies, one every year. So, it’s understandable that viewers felt tired of the franchise after the first few Saw films. Moreover, after the third film, each movie feels like a poorly balanced mix between a police procedural and a torture horror film. Hoffman was an interesting character when he was first introduced, but he lacks Jigsaw’s charm, and I’m glad we’re back to following Jigsaw again from Saw X, a good movie that defied my low expectations.

However, of the slew of Saw movies that keep retconning the past to explore Jigsaw’s impact after his death, Saw VI definitely stands out as unique to me. The movie gives us a personal Jigsaw angle; the victims of the traps are corrupt insurance officials who deny deserving people their treatment to serve their capitalistic greed. It’s one of the few Saw movies that addresses a real issue, and I unapologetically love it as one of the best in the franchise. That carousel trap, albeit sickening, is one of my favorite Jigsaw concoctions.

2

Rubber (2010)

Directed By Quentin Dupieux

Meta commentary can create amazing horror movies, as is witnessed by the entire Scream franchise. However, an entire monologue about life and movies having meaningless occurrences used as a premise to set up a nonsensical film does feel like a tired, pun intended, exercise in parody. Quentin Dupieux’s Rubber is perhaps one of the most disliked and dismissed horror movies ever because it often feels like a lazy attempt at mockery.

I’m not here to make the case that Rubber is smarter than it appears. It isn’t. About halfway through the movie, I re-evaluated the opening monologue, as an excuse by the director to justify the incoherence of his film. However, I could never bring myself to hate Rubber. Its pretentiousness takes the form of a sentient tire indulging its murderous instincts. It is absolutely as silly as it sounds, and taking it at its face value promises a hilarious ride, even if you’re laughing at the movie more often than with it.

1

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Directed By Karyn Kusama

It’s sort of contentious to claim today that Jennifer’s Body gets a lot of flack after the film’s recent re-evaluation as a feminist classic. However, it still has a meager score of 5.5 on IMDb and still often gets dismissed as a silly film. It has corny lines and some on-the-nose social commentary, but that doesn’t justify the amount of hate it received upon release and continues to get in some circles. The marketing, which seemed to suggest it is a sleazy horror film targeted at adolescent boys, is largely to blame.

Jennifer’s Body is a rape-revenge narrative packed into an occasionally terrifying horror comedy movie and is a witty film that investigates the impact of post-feminism on teenage comedies. It explores the othering of femininity by ᴀssociating it with monstrosity on a literal level. However, even before one goes into the deeper meaning of the horror film, it offers the joy of watching a girl avenge herself while looking fabulous and dropping some of the most iconic 2000s movie quotes ever. Adam Brody’s band leader character is a ridiculously pathetic villain who I love to hate while rooting for Jennifer and Needy.