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



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5. Troy & Sons (The Neighbor) There's a sheer ruthlessness to the neighbor at the center of The Neighbor. Like Mick Taylor of Wolf Creek infamy, Troy is a rural man who is evil to his core. Drawing his two sons into his insidious plans, Troy is the type of neighbor who may come across as a homely outdoorsman, but he is nothing short of villainous. His small business consisting of holding victims for ransom and killing everyone in his way is the type of work only someone in a Podunk town could get away with.


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4. Jon & Teresa (The Ones Below) If things feel too perfect, chances are they are. This is exactly the conclusion Kate and to an extent her husband, Justin, come to after quickly befriending and defriending their new downstairs neighbors. While slightly off, the pairs quickly have a budding friendship. That however, crashes after a by-chance accident that quickly unravels into hell for Kate. Disorienting in their passive aggressiveness and the steps they take to ruin the lives of Kate and Justin, the pregnant Kate quickly recognizes the darkness behind Jon and Teresa. While things at one point grow rosier, the unsettling tension never leaves this film. This is a pair you won’t see coming, but will certainly regret accepting into your lives.

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3. Mr. Jones (Mr. Jones) Artsy and cultured neighbors can be a double-edged sword. Sure they bring a certain lighthearted airiness to the area, but they can also spell trouble thanks to their free spirits and intrusive projects. This happens to be a complete and total understatement in the case of Mr. Jones. A secretive artist in the vein of Banksy, Mr. Jones is a welcome unknown for new homeowners Scott and Penny. After they decide to research the recluse and film it, they soon get more than they bargained for. Mr. Jones isn't a neighbor any of us are bound to come across any day, but his scary sculptures paired with the mystery surrounding him make him less than a satisfying prospect for any potential homeowners.

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2. Jerry Dandrige (Fright Night) Though more comical than most neighbor horror stories, the core of the 70's film, Fright Night, is terrifying. Deceptively charming to everyone other than Charley Brewster, Jerry Dandrige is a new neighbor \you'll literally be praying to leave. While he may need to be invited in and presents himself as cordial, he's truly anything but. Using trickery and deceit, Jerry captures the hearts of those around him and then transforms them into similar monstrous creatures. His ability to feign normalcy in the eyes of everyone by Charley is a testament to his charms. Jerry is scary, at the very least, because of his ability to charm.



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1. Robert Turner (Disturbia)

One of the most iconic thrillers for 2000s teenagers is the Shia LaBeouf-starring film, Disturbia. Featuring a neighbor with enough skeletons to fill more than a closet, Disturbia is a frightening reminder that despite rosy appearances, you don't really know your neighbors. Sure they may be friendly and relatively normal, but underneath that veil could be something far more sinister. Like the human Jerry Dandrige, Robert Turner comes across as the charming man next door. Older and dressed in semiformal clothes in nearly every appearance, he seems like your typical suburbanite. But, after some deep sleuthing, it becomes clear that he has a secrets and a preparedness to kill. Disturbia isn't a straight up horror film, but it gives viewers one of the scariest neighbor nightmare stories in the film industry.

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: Horror in the City (Pt. II of II)

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5. Quarantine

Quarantine is the type of film that'll make you afraid of apartment complexes. Despite the numerous exits and the fact that the building itself is no taller than a large house, the building central to this New York City-based horror film is less homey and more like a coffin. Representative of much of the older housing in urban areas, the questionably lit, eerie corridors of Quarantine is a city horror film that preys on primal fears of germs and condensed spaces.

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4. Cloverfield

Cloverfield is iconic. Foraging the rebirth of found-footage alongside films like Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield isn't consistently terrifying but, uses its setting perfectly. Like the multitude of monster flicks before it, this movie's city-based setting made for a thrilling journey into a labyrinth of buildings and side streets. Propelled through stylized footage across New York City to seem realistic, this film delved viewers into the position of the characters and begged the question, "what would you do?" Cloverfield is perfectly sound; it - like many movies - has some flaws, but its use of location is pretty stellar.

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3. 28 Days Later

While later escaping the city, the characters of 28 Days Later begin in London during a terrifying outbreak. By far one of the scariest modern horror films, 28 Days Later provided a fresh take on typically stunted, walking zombie creatures and gave them agility, which in a city setting where navigation can be difficult, made the film all the more scary. 28 Days Later use of London streets felt very new as so many others before it had settled for New York City. Its depiction of the denigration of the city, catapulted by particularly aggressive zombies, left viewers stunned when it first came out.

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2. The Purge: Anarchy

When The Purge first came out, critics and audiences ate up the movie's original concept and creative setting. However, somewhat disappointed by the film's house-based small scale, fans still wanted something more. Then, the sequel came out. Perfectly capturing and visualizing exactly what viewers had been seeking, The Purge: Anarchy is one of the greatest sequels ever released. Trekking across Los Angeles, Anarchy tackled race relations, socioeconomic status and the intersections between them, all wrapped tightly into a fiercely intense package. It showcases the absolute chaos that could erupt in a densely populated area with stamina.

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1. Train to Busan

Maybe it can be tossed up to its currency, but Train to Busan is one of the most original city horror films I've ever seen. While taking place mostly on a train, the use of passing cityscapes and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the speeding train cars make Train to Busan a stand out. It's a thrilling, fast-paced horror flick. Even with subtitles which may make some wary, this movie never distracts from its intense storyline; offering abundant scares, great emotional moments and some truly great visual effects. Add on formerly populated train stations and a destination to one of South Korea's largest cities, and Train to Busan is sure to resonate with anyone who feels overwhelmed by urban areas.

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

The idea for franchising a horror universe isn't revolutionary. Since the beginning, successful horror entries have sought to cash in on the originals success with plenty of mixed results. But, a lot of horror fans lampoon modern horror films for their endless lists of spin-offs and sequels. Often ignoring the fact that most horror classics feature plenty of duds mixed into their sometimes 10+ follow-ups. Movies like The Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and Halloween are fantastic, even if some of their later additions mar their pristineness. So with horror only moving forward and sequels and spin-offs sure to continue, the question remains which of modern horror’s universes are best? This week's lists looks at the newest and most hopeful franchises that continue to expand their universes and shoot upward, despite some audiences' disapproval.

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10. Wrong Turn

Will this series ever end? Will the love it deserves ever be given? The answer to both is probably no. At the very least, the Wrong Turn franchise is reliable. At the very most? It's a cheap and entertaining series with a few scares tossed into the gory cheese. Wrong Turn deserves acknowledgement for the simple fact that it has persevered from its foundations as a knock-off to its now fully fledged existence that still manages to garner some attention.

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9. Child's Play

What began as a lovable and terrifying entry into the possessed children's toy subgenre quickly devolved into a campy and now overtly odd franchise. Its sad how oversaturated the merchandising and marketing of Chucky has turned the original Child's Play, an otherwise scary entity, into a trashy and comical so-bad-its-good franchise. In an attempt to become one of those series you have to "get," the Chucky universe has become relatively unbearable for many horror fans that can't look past the films' cheap ploys and gratuitousness. The nails on this coffin should have definitely come before The Bride of Chucky, and the burial should definitely be in place of The Curse of Chucky.

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8. Paranormal Activity 

For a franchise that is nearly emblematic of a generation of horror, Paranormal Activity pretty much went off the deep end in its later installments that chose to disrupt and grossly upheave the mythology of the original set. But, for what it's worth, there is plenty to appreciate from this movie series' cookie-cutter and craftsmen style appeasement. Not even the houses which are relatively plain, the characters who are mostly interchangeable or the plot lines that are predictable can remove the fact that Paranormal Activity revitalized found-footage and perhaps brought in new horror fans altogether. These films feel so representative of modern horror that it's hard to ignore them, even in their later failures.

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7. Insidious

With the exception of the lukewarm sequel, the hopes and future of the Insidious franchise seem bright. Even if you consider the sequel - an at times inept addition to the series - this universe is filled with plenty of effective scares and creepy atmosphere. From the absolutely horrifying and critically acclaimed original to the unfairly attacked third installment, Insidious will more than likely continue with the same fervor as it’s original and rightfully so. While nothing can compete with the first and its shining stars in Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson, the third edition definitely revitalized hopes for the future fourth and murmurs of spin-offs. Insidious like Paranormal Activity, is a staple of modern horror and well worthy of its franchising.

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6. The Purge

Given the successes of The Purge, it's stronger and possibly even better sequels and the prospects of a developing television series, this franchise managed to create an alternative world quickly and with encouragement. While the first's small scale was sometimes frowned upon and the third faced some backlash for its over-the-top aspects, the winds are strong behind this fledgling classic. From Halloween costumes to its use as a conversational topic, most everyone knows of The Purge and its hyper political style of storytelling. Intrinsically connected to ideas that are even more prevalent now, expect this franchise to become even more topical.

 

Best in Show: Scary Movie Masks (Part I of II)

A lot of horror movies use masks. That's a plain ole' factual statement with very little explanation needed. However, making those masks scary is another story. Typically done well and seldom disruptive, masked assailants in horror almost always work hand-in-hand. In fact, I can't think of a movie where an intentional mask (not poor makeup) actually diffused the tension of a horror movie. Yeah some are cooler or look better and some are more destined for Halloween iconography, but ultimately masks almost always do more good than harm. Here's a list of the one's that have scared me the most.  



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10. Sam (Trick R' Treat)
It's hard to be simultaneously cute and scary, but somehow Sam's homemade mask in Trick R' Treat does just that. On one hand, you want to hold him, but something vacant about the movie's titular villain is off-putting. It's the kind of terrifying child horror movie fans crave, but also the kind that someone could possibly one day love. The mask works because it seems so innocent but ultimately leaves you more disconcerted than warm.



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9. Ghostface (Scream)

Not scary, insofar as it is iconic. The mask worn by the killers of the Scream franchise never really strike fear, but are notable and worthy, solely based on its infamy. Ghostface, like the demented painting it's based on, is weirder to look at than anything. The disproportionate, melted form of the mask, lend to its satirical properties.- where movies like Halloween try to bring terror through terrifyingly human masks, Scream brought a mask that looked all too fake.

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8. Mr. Mouse (Torment)

Ugh. This movie wasn't even all that good, but the stuffed-animal-turned-terrifying-face-mask of a children's toy was enough to give me nightmares. Torment is one of those lesser known horror movies that you watch on Netflix when there's nothing else to do. It wasn't spectacular but ultimately, I walked away with a fear of the movie's featured mask. Like a misshapen mouse, the stretched-out features of the kid's stuffed animal look grotesquely inappropriate and exaggerate the twisted nature of the killer. The bottom line and point I'm trying to make is that the mask of Torment is able to set off a good jump scare or head turn, but even if it couldn't save the movie's other flaws.

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7. Animals (You're Next)
Like Ghostface, the masks of You're Next are less scary than they are other things. For one, the masks of You're Next are fascinating to look at. Where some horror movies used distraught and beaten down features to bring out the horror, the animal masks in You're Next are so viscerally clean. They're not misshapen heaps and instead are the stuff of intensity. They're terrifying because unlike the person behind the mask of Ghostface, the people behind the masks of You're Next seem far more serious, ready to attack you at any moment.

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6. Polite Faces (The Purge) & Gasmask (My Bloody Valentine 3D)
I'm done with snarky comments about ties. Realistically, every list will have them since I always have more than 10 things to say. Why not expand my lists to 11? Because the pressures of coming up with 11 things every single time is too much.  But I digress. The Purge relaunched quite the Halloween craze when it came out. Between its masks flooding in and out of stores and people still wanting to be this group of purgers, the "polite" yuppies of the first Purge movie have achieved a Ghostface-like level of commercial infamy. All of this is for good reason though- this group of masked assailants is one of the scariest. Between eerie smiles and hollow eyes, The Purge killers are great additions to any slasher night.

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I included the gasmask from My Bloody Valentine 3D on this list because it is the most terrifyingly normal mask out there. Despite being a remake of the not so scary Canadian version, My Bloody Valentine 3D is surprisingly good. It's kind of cheesy but is the type of easy going slasher that you can really delve into. On top of that, the gasmask worn by the killer is so plain and terrifying that it's left me with a fear of miners (not minors, although I am afraid of those too). The glassy eyes and rugged exterior are similar to the effects of the animal masks in You're Next in that they're so harsh, they're scary.

Come back tomorrow for part two of this list!