Best in Show: Nasty Neighbors (Pt. I of II)

While plenty of horror films are set nestled in desolate locations, some of the scariest stories come from the house right next door. Whether hiding bodies in their basement or harboring a dark secret, neighbors can be the unknown and unsuspecting evil you never knew you had to watch out for. Sure suburbia sounds nice and high-rises can build a sense of community, but when your fellow suburbanites or tenants are evil, isolation seems like the better plan. This week's list covers horror's scariest neighbors.

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10. Will & Annie (Honeymoon)

While leaning more toward the isolated setting of films like The Strangers, the indie horror flick, Honeymoon, features a pair of distant neighbors who could make any new residents' skin crawl. When Paul and Bea set out for their honeymoon at a remote cabin, their closest neighbors are a pair of odd townies, Will and Annie. Will happens to know Bea from her youth and Annie, while quieter is deeply troubled. And, while Will ends up being less aware of the dark roots setting themselves into Annie and Bea, his initial hostilities toward Will are more than suspicious cannot be ignored.

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9. Ryan Jacobson (House at the End of the Street)

Despite his troubled childhood and continued struggles, there's no denying the creep factor driving Ryan Jacobson. When divorcee Sarah and her daughter, Elissa, move into a secluded and wooded neighborhood, the nearby house at the end of the street proves to harbor more than the normal white lies of everyday families. Ryan lives there alone after the disappearance of his sister who happened to murder their parents. Things get increasingly unsettling as Elissa uncovers far more than she bargained for in her budding relationship with Ryan. Ryan isn't your typical scary neighbor; he's young, enrolled in school and seems relatively friendly, but through all of his childhood trauma, Ryan has turned into something far more evil.

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8. Abel Turner (Lakeview Terrace)
Rarely do thrillers give as much of a perspective as to the crazed reasoning behind bad neighbors as in Lakeview Terrace. While completely unwarranted, there's something almost sympathetic about the unhinged Abel Turner. His actions while sinister and problematic are given plenty of backstory and while he eventually turns into quite the problem, he starts the movie as a grumpy old man. It’s a shame how evil he turns out to be because everyone would think having a cop next door would be the blessing of a lifetime.  Instead, it ends up being an absolute nightmare. 

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7. The Castevets (Rosemary's Baby)

You have to love moving into a new place and discovering you have kind, even if a little overbearing, elderly neighbors. Well, that is until you realize they're far more sinister than they appear. Turns out, the Woodhouse's neighbors are quite the opposite of cutesy. In fact, they're anything but. Last week, the pair made the list of scariest old people in horror and for good reason. The Castevets' pension for Satan, hidden behind a desire to assist Rosemary and her pregnant needs, is anything but neighborly. Rosemary's Baby is a classic hinged on the great villains created in The Castevets. They're terrifyingly kind demeanors and their overly helpful nature make for something truly dark.

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6. The Ferrins, Halversons and Mr. Cali (The Purge)While a lot of money may buy you a nice neighborhood, it certainly can't buy you nice neighbors. While the tension built around the neighbors surrounding the Sandin's may seem a little warranted, the added pressure of an annual anything-goes evening of horrors is all that's needed to break the camel’s back. Whether it’s the standoffish but innocent behavior exhibited by the Sandin's is partially to blame the horrific intentions of their neighbors is anything but couth. Despite the feigned culture and class of them all, this group of neighbors are vicious. They set out with a goal and set on the Sandin's house with all the ferocity of the deeply rooted mistrust and competition of upper-class living.

Best in Show: Animals in Horror (Pt. II of II)

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5. Lions (Prey)

I first stumbled on Prey in a $5 bin at Wal-Mart. It is without a doubt, one of the best films I've ever pulled from those heaping piles of rejects. I was floored watching this movie. Featuring a step-mother and her two step-kids on a safari gone wrong, Prey features a viscous set of claws and teeth. If you aren't afraid of big cats, I would suggest this movie because you will be. From the moment they're trapped in their car onward, viewers can expect to grip their seat as lions circle the jeep and plan their attack. This movie also has advantage for having believable actors and a stronger plot. I was never bored during Prey, but I was scared.

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4. A Shark (The Shallows)

What could have been a deeply offensive knockoff of Jaws turned out to be a stellar horror movie in The Shallows. Way better than it had any right to be, the thrilling film of a woman escaping a deadly shark is insanely realistic until the explosive ending. Visually stunning and equally terrifying, The Shallows has a lot to offer. At the helm of all of these positives is the very real, very horrifying shark that gets way too close way too many times. The Shallows is amazing. Not only did it feel like a fresh revival of the animal-attack subgenre, it also stood out because of how well-done it was. From the striking landscape, to the vividly terrifying shark, The Shallows made me afraid of open waters once more

 

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3. A Bear (Backcountry)

By far one of the most realistic, level-headed animal-attack horror movies out there, Backcountry reiterated my already real fear of bears. The daunting giganticness of the bear featured, flanked by the practical plot line of a couple camping in the woods left me stunned. It felt as if you were watching a real, live event unfold. While it's fictional, this movie rarely goes out of its realistic and scary premise. The bear in Backcountry is scary to its core. Simply being a territorial bear and never anything more, this movie provides viewers with a truly thrilling experience.

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2. Wolves (The Grey)

Not only is this one of the best films Liam Neeson ever took part in, but The Grey also stands out as one of the best modern survival films around. Throughout the movie, a group of men must withstand the harsh surroundings they're placed in all propelled further by a pack of wolves hunting them. The Grey pulls viewers in by making them question, at every turn, what they would do in that situation. While not always grounded, this movie is an incredible feat with visual prowess.





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1. A Shark (Jaws)

Yeah, it's the typical answer, but it is so worthy. Jaws is quintessential to this subgenre and is a certified classic. Still relevant and watchable in 2017, Jaws is the movie that forced an entire generation out of the water in fear. This movie is golden and not much else needs to be said since it's all been said elsewhere. Even as a child, I was well past the prime audience intended for the movie, and yet I was afraid of oceans from that moment on. Jaws is a true anxiety-inducer and everyone should be forced to see it once.  

Best in Show: Animals in Horror (Pt. I of II)

84 years ago, King Kong premiered. Since then, hundreds of movies have been released that focus on extreme animals and the destruction they cause. But, where King Kong was an exaggeration similar in style to the genetically modified animal-monsters that seep the SyFy channel, other films brought realism to the subgenre. Sure, situations may be exaggerated for movie effects, but the movies that made this list, made it because of the terrifying possibility that they could happen. Maybe they won't happen in such an insane way, or play out like a movie but the possibility of being attacked by a crocodile or a bunch of birds, sharks or some snakes isn't that out of the ordinary. So here's a list of scariest horror movie animals (without the crazy modifications):

(P.S. I have never seen Cujo, but I plan to and like others would probably alternate it into this list from the premise alone)



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10. Giant Crocodile (Lake Placid)

By far the most engineered of this list's animals, the gigantic crocodile of Lake Placid is the stuff of nightmares. Sure, it's kind of a over-the-top and weary in some parts, but the very foundation of this movie was enough to scare my early-2000s heart. It's camp, it's low production value and sometimes mediocre acting hinder this movie, but ultimately the take away is able to overcome it. I am still afraid of murky water and this movie, along with another on this list, is to thank.



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9. Flock of Birds (The Birds)

Production value. That is all I will say. Arguably, The Birds could have been number one on this list. The short story it's based on is terrifying and the movie has some moments of its own. But, what greatly tears away at this movie is stringed birds and questionable graphics. For all the hate remakes get, a very scary The Birds remake could be good, especially if it maintains the acting levels of the original film. I would also argue that like many zombie movies and television shows, this movie offers a lot of potential for story continuation and I'm shocked to not see more of it. I love the everyday-gone-wrong atmosphere of this movie and while merited, more updating could be done to make this movie even better than it's classic.



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8. Sharks (Open Water)

Open Water is my slow-burning nightmare. Every single shot of this movie is so intensely planned and dictated to look real. Even the slowest moments of the film are painstakingly stressful as the couple stranded in the water attempt to save themselves. Open Water is minimal; a bubbling little film with a gigantic impact. The movie's final moments with the pair are heartbreakingly intimate and to me, the ocean never looked the same. Open Water is a cold, dark and unrelenting film and at its heart, sharks run rampant.

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7. A Monkey (28 Days Later)

This isn't a horror movie about an animal? Tell that to my child heart that basically stopped when the monkey attacks in the research laboratory. Yeah, the moment was brief, but where other films with jump scares left me able to cope, my horror-avoiding childhood was shook to its core. When the monkey lunges, I literally got up and left the room. And, while I would argue there are far scarier things in this pair of films, the opening scene in the lab is the only one I continuously carry with me. That monkey is terrifying and deserves more credit for this movie's prominence (after all, without the monkey, 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later may have never happened).

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6. Snakes (Snakes on a Plane)

Call this movie what you may, but Snakes on a Plane left me sleepless for about a week when a young me witnessed this exaggerated, sometimes dumb film about snakes let loose on an aircraft. On so many levels, this movie works into phobias. From fears of confined spaces to those of flying and snakes, no one will ever deter me from believing that this is actually one of the scariest modern horror films of all time. I know that Snakes on a Plane is ridiculous. I'm a fully functioning human being that sees the comedy in Samuel L. Jackson's performance, but the slithering serpents of this movie left me shell shocked well after it ended.