HICKEY'S TOP 20 HORROR FILMS OF 2015

I'm sure you've seen plenty of these lists already.
In fact, just this last week I was asked to contribute a top 10 to the wonderful UK Horror Scene.
But what I realised as I compiled my list was what a great year 2015 has been for our beloved genre.
Honestly, I could have easily compiled a top 20, with indie efforts in particular raising the bar for horror films.
So, that's exactly what I'm doing here, expanding that Top 10 into a Top 20!


You're welcome, you lucky, lucky people...

TOP 20 HORROR FILMS OF 2015 — PART 1

20: GOODNIGHT MOMMY





Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala's German-language psychological horror film was one of the most hyped and atmospheric films of the year.
It was incredibly creepy and boasted some genuinely shocking moments but missed out on a higher spot on the list due to its overly telegraphed plot twist.
Expect a full review soon...


19: NIGHT OF THE SLASHER




I've said it before and I'll say it again — there is a HUGE amount of talent currently producing horror short films. In fact, some are significantly better than feature-length efforts.
In recognition of this fact, I'm going to place my favourite short of the past 12 months on this list, Shant Hamassian's self-aware and wonderfully clever, Night of the Slasher. It's amazing.
Read my review here.


18: CLOWN




Coulrophobes need not apply! Jon Watts' tale of the devilish Cloyne (brought to us by horror hotshot Eli Roth) was a shocking and sometimes darkly humorous body-horror flick. With a super cast and some surprisingly grim splatter, Clown is well worth your time.
Read my review here.

17: COOTIES




Produced by star Elijah Wood's SpectreVision, Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott's zom-com with a top cast of comedy talent was an excellent and darkly funny effort.
Never have zombified children proved as entertaining!
Read my review here.

16: HEADLESS




Arthur Cullipher took the fictional video nasty from Scott Schirmer's phenomenal Found and created a top-drawer visceral genre throwback.
Bloody and relentless, this feels just like a Seventies Grindhouse flick. Headless is a movie for the gorehounds.
Read my review here.

15: THE HALLOW




Corin Hardy's folk-horror opus is a wonderfully creepy dark fairytale and boasts some of the finest creature design work I've seen this year. It's a visual feast for genre fans and comes highly recommended.
Read my review here.

14: KRAMPUS




A recent release, but one that is entirely deserving of its place on this list. Trick 'r Treat's Michael Dougherty turns his attention to another holiday — with stupendous results. An unabashed creature feature with plenty of visual flair and lots of laughs, this is destined to become an annual festive tradition. Do check it out.
Read my review here.

13: HOWL




Along with Dog Soldiers, Paul Hyett's 'late-night commuter train' horror shows that Brit filmmakers are finally doing werewolves justice. This is a decidedly English film — it's quirky, creepy and built around some very realistic characters in a fantastical situation. Plus it has some great make-up work. Great stuff.
Expect a review very soon...

12: LAST SHIFT




Anthony DiBlasi's sterling John Carpenter-influenced haunted police station flick was one of my surprise finds of the year. Playing out like Silent Hill meets Assault on Precinct 13, and built around a commanding performance from Juliana Harkavy, I really hope this one finds the audience that it's quality deserves.
Read my review here.

11: BONE TOMAHAWK




The only reason that S. Craig Zahler's frankly gorgeous movie isn't higher on this list is that I'm not entirely sure it's a horror film. More a fantastic Western with a horrific climax (and one of the most disturbing sequences I've seen this year), this feels a lot like The Searchers — if it turned into The Hills Have Eyes for the climax. An amazing cast (including House fave Kurt Russell) and a superb script give us a Wild West Jaws — this is a film that will blow you away.

Expect a review very soon...

So, that's the first part of this epic study of the best horror films of 2015, expect the concluding part VERY soon.


Anything you disagree with? Anything you think should be higher? What do you want to see in my top 10?
Let me know below!

If you haven’t already, do please check out and like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.

FILM4 FRIGHTFEST SPECIAL – SHORT REVIEW: NIGHT OF THE SLASHER

It's been far too long since I covered a fun horror short here at the House. These tend to get fewer readers than my feature reviews, but I have no intention whatsoever of cutting shorts from my genre coverage because, as I've said before, short films feature some of the most talented, imaginative and downright brilliant up-and-coming horror filmmakers.
In recognition of this fact, this weekend's Film4 FrightFest is featuring not one, nor two but THREE short film showcases with a dizzying number of titles on display from all around the world. Joining the likes of the amazing El Gigante (which I reviewed before, right here) is Shant Hamassian's Night of the Slasher, a self-aware horror tale with a fresh slant on the 'dead babysitter' genre.
Intrigued? You should be.

NIGHT OF THE SLASHER (2015)

Dir: Shant Hamassian
Starring: Lily Berlina, Scott Javore, Adam Lesar, David Swann, Eve Constance

SPEEDY SYNOPSIS: This is a short so I'll try not spoil too much, but read on at your own risk.

Jenelle (Berlina) is a pretty, but troubled young woman who seems determined to carry out the most self-destructive course of action she can. Hard drinking, abusing drugs, even meaningless, unprotected sex with her sweet but dorky classmate (Javore), Jenelle seems hellbent on making the worst decisions possible.
However, Jenelle hides a dark secret, as evidenced by a large and unsightly recent scar across her throat. What caused this gruesome injury? Has it finished with Jenelle? And more importantly, is Jenelle done with it?

WHY IT WORKS: Ever since the smash-hit success of Scream, meta-slasher flicks have been all the rage. Scream heralded in a new era of slasher in which pop-culture savvy teens idly discussed the unwritten rules of horror movies, all while falling prey to a mysterious masked maniac, an idea expanded upon in the amazing Behind the Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon. Night of the Slasher takes up that mantle and spins it off into a new and exciting direction. It's full of that self-aware genre introspection, but this time turns it into a key part of the plot rather than window dressing. 
The story, written by director Hamassian, seems simple and fun at first, an easy way to wring some humour from in-jokes that fans of genre classics such as Halloween will gobble up. The humour is certainly there, however, as the story progresses it transforms into something far richer, with a lot more nuance. 
I've had the pleasure of communicating with the very amiable Hamassian and he informs me that this short is actually just a segment of a far longer script that he intends to film at feature length. The sheer amount of thought and creativity in this script makes it clear that that the story has legs far beyond this brief (but satisfying) 11 minute runtime. That isn't to say this feels undernourished or truncated, far from it, it just has a lot more depth than many other genre shorts.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the characterisation of the lead. At first a clichéd traumatised bad-girl, it soon becomes apparent that Jenelle is so much more. Irreparably changed by her own brush with a monster, she has transformed into something every bit as dangerous in her own quest. This is very smart writing, bringing to mind kick-ass horror heroines along the lines of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cassie Hack from Tim Seeley's brilliant Hack/Slash comic series or the enigmatic Red from the Mycho film Slasherhouse (a review of which shall be appearing here very soon). The characterisation is undoubtedly helped by the tremendous work of Berlina in the role. She's a fantastic scream queen in the making, showing plenty of range — from hard-eyed, tough-as-nails slasher-slayer to vulnerable, heart-broken victim, she does it all — and it certainly doesn't harm her cause that she is such an attractive young lady. When Night of the Slasher takes the leap to feature-length I really hope Ms Berlina returns for the ride.
Of course, Berlina isn't the only actor in the film to deliver the goods. Javore lends great support as The Bait (no prizes for guessing what might happen to him). Softer and more vulnerable than the battle-toughened Jenelle, Javore's character gets to add a more human character with whom to sympathise. He's nerdy, dorky, clearly unpopular with his peers, but he's also decent, gentle and thoughtful — something that probably can't be said for our heroine.
Javore also gets to add to the levity, delivering some rib-tickling lines with superb comic timing. His line about getting teased by his fellow high-schoolers for looking like he's 30 is a wonderful in-joke at the expense of some of the less convincing 'Teen' characters in Eighties slasher classics.
As good as this gag was, my favourite genre in-joke of the whole film was in the appearance of the titular Slasher. Those of you who know the story behind the iconic Michael Myers will be sure to take as much pleasure as I did upon seeing that Lesar's silent maniac is sporting a Star Trek Spock mask painted white. THAT is genius right there, readers.
Speaking of Lesar's killer, he is another member of the cast that impresses. His is a role without dialogue but he has mastered the art of creepy body language. From the trademark detached amble of the Eighties slasher villain to sudden frenzied violence, Lesar brings his character to life in a nightmarish manner.
That may come across as rather surprising considering how strongly I've stressed the humour in the plot, but while there are plenty of laughs, this is still a horror short. The jokes are there but expect plenty of chills and thrills. There's some pretty spectacular violence and some nice moments of creepiness (Lesar's rolling, crouching shuffle is decidedly unsettling).
Now for one key detail that I've decided to hold on to until this point — the entire film is shot as a continuous take.

Read that again, I can wait.

That's right, while the 11 minute film contains plenty of movement and some decidedly complex sequences, the entire film is presented as if it is one single take. Now, I can't confirm that it was all definitely shot in one go, but if there are any cuts they are masterfully hidden — itself a tremendous achievement, as evidenced in the iconic opening scene of the aforementioned Halloween. This gives the entire film some added dynamism and transforms it from a tremendously clever idea on paper to downright magnificent film-making. Getting past the technical aspects of superb lighting and framing that must have taken FOREVER to plan out, it also turns the film into a real white knuckle thrill ride. The constant and relentless camerawork echoes the unflinching and icy determination of the slasher, injecting a sense of realism as well, making the audience feel as if they are there witnessing the events of the film as they unfold.
With tonnes of imagination and wit in the script, it's truly a joy to see that same level of ingenuity on display in the filming process as well.
It may sound like I'm over egging the pudding here but trust me, Night of the Slasher offers a fine example of the type of gifted talent currently plying their trade in short films at the moment. This is the type of film that horror fans will love — you really would be daft to miss it.

SO WHERE'S IT AT? The film is currently working the festival circuit, so check out the film's official Facebook page for more information as to where you can catch it, further updates on a web release or the eventual feature. Fingers crossed that'll arrive sooner rather than later!

UK readers planning to attend the Film4 FrightFest will be delighted to hear that the film will playing on Discovery Screen 2 during Short Film Showcase 3 on Monday 31st August.

10 WORD WRAP UP: A brilliant concept executed flawlessly, this is a must see 

Read my previous Film4 Frightfest special reviews for Suspension here, The Nightmare here, Wind Walkers here and Stung here.

If you haven’t already, do please check out and Like the Hickey’s House of Horrors Facebook page, which you can find here. It gives you a nice quick link to any new posts on this blog, plus regular news updates from around the web. I check the Internet so you don’t have to! Alternatively, follow me on twitter: The House@HickeysHorrors

Until next time, I hope you enjoyed your stay.