JoeMama's Movie Reviews

Worst2First: My Top Ten Horror Films of the 2010s The 2010s saw a new resurgence of the horror genre, offering a plethora of different types of horror for every person's liking.  Like ghost films?  2010s had them.  Like tense psychological horror?  They had that too.  Like Stephen King?  Yep, he's still going strong.  The decade also shed light on important real-life tensions such as race and safe sex through the lens of horror, crafting some ingenious work that earned a film in this list an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.  The decade also saw a slew of intellectual independent filmmakers who brought their unique vision to the big screen in ways otherwise unheard of, since horror cinema lost iconic directors such as Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, and George Romero in the 2010s. Before I get to the top ten, here's those that didn't quite make the list: #25 - Ready Or Not (19) #24 - Midsommar (19) #23 - Green Room (16) #22 - Happy Death Day (17) #21 ...

Wither Starring Lamissah La-Shontae, Philippa Howard, Anthony Niescior Directed by Ethan Evans Folk horror is a subgenre of horror that predominately originates in Britain, a subgenre that focuses on horrors that arise from the very location that the film is set in, as opposed to an outside force like a serial killer, ghost, or alien.  It's often very ritualistic, showcasing religious imagery and focusing on sacrifice, nature, and the consequences of not following through with traditions.  Modern films like "Midsommar," "Black Death," and especially "Kill List" all focus on this type of horror, that also incorporates religious devotion and cult-like behaviors that have often existed in the land for centuries.  This subgenre was given birth by three influential films - "Witchfinder General," "The Blood on Satan's Claw," and most notably "The Wicker Man" (not that Nicolas Cage remake abomination, but the Christopher deLE...

The Living Dead Starring Jessica Jane-Stanford, Paul Danan, Aurie 'Styla' Green, Hakan Hassan Directed by Fredi Nwaka What I appreciate the most about horror cinema is the fact that its the easiest genre for an up-and-coming director to direct, and provide a unique vision that's set apart from different genres - in horror, you can make anything if you set your mind to it.  Horror can also blend different genres within itself, producing horror/drama, horror/action, and even horror/comedy, which is the route taken by first-time director Fredi Nwaka's "The Living Dead" (also known in the U.K. as "Are We Dead Yet?") - it's not just a horror film, but also blends action and comedy and produces a worthwhile whole. Madison (Jessica Jane-Stanford), Barry (Aurie 'Styla' Green), Gavin (Paul Danan), Alan (Hakan Hassan) and Parksey (Bradley Turner) are a group of robbers who, after their getaway car breaks down, find themselves in front of a towering...

Worst2First: My Top Ten Horror Films of the 2000s The 2000s was a tumultuous time especially for Americans, as 9/11 forever transformed our concept of safety and security, and the horror genre took a deep shift away from the traditional slasher genre and was able to expand into different facets that weren't before utilized.  The zombie craze was just beginning, the advent of superior cheaper filming equipment opened the door for the found footage subgenre to explode, the international wave of the likes of J-Horror from Japan and the New French Extremity from France made horror much more international, and the 2000s saw the birth of a new type of horror subgenre - the torture porn. Before I get to the top ten, here's those that didn't quite make the list: #25 - Dog Soldiers (02) #24 - The Orphanage (07) #23 - Cloverfield (08) #22 - Triangle (09) #21 - Rec (07) #20 - Hostel (06) #19 - The Devil's Backbone (01) #18 - Dawn of the Dead (04) #17 - Martyrs (08) #16 - Inside (0...

Worst2First: My Top Ten Horror Films of the 1990s Coming off the highs that were the 1980s, horror films in the 1990s was something drastically different than the campy, slasher films that dotted the 80s landscape.  While there were more sequels of the long-gestating franchises that were born in the 80s, the 90s saw a resurgence of the more critically acclaimed horror films like the 70s, including a film that did the unthinkable.  The 90s was also a time of a new breed of horror that would be defined as the "found footage" subgenre, along with a more meta look at horror as a whole. Before I get to the top ten, here's those that didn't quite make the list: #25 - Arachnophobia (90) #24 - The Frighteners (96) #23 - Funny Games (98) #22 - Event Horizon (97) #21 - Army of Darkness (93) #20 - From Dusk Til Dawn (96) #19 - Fire in the Sky (93) #18 - Tremors (90) #17 - The People Under the Stairs (91) #16 - Dead Alive (93) #15 - Halloween H20 (98) #14 - Interview With the Vam...