Ah yes....2020. It will be forever memorable and infamous. For the Horror genre, we saw the Blockbuster movies get bumped further out, then further...further... and still we are watching and waiting for some of them to stick to their latest release dates. Hopefully we start to see these dates stay where they are so we can get back to watching the high-production elite level Horror. I'm talking about Halloween Kills, A Quiet Place 2, The Conjuring 3, a new Purge, a new addition to the Saw Legacy, and so many more.
On our most recent episode, The Bloody Reel cast gave a formal emphatic wave goodbye to 2020 with a few choice words and welcomed the new year. Episode 11 "Reel Resolutions" we discovered that NO New Year's Resolution is safe from the Horror genre's evil that haunts, hunts, lurks, and maims its prey. Go check out our episode as we prepare for the onslaught of the long-awaited epic 2021 Horror movies!
Don't get me wrong though, 2020 had its share of some really good movies. A lot of the 2020 movies that came out were done by first-time Directors/Writers. Most were Independent Releases as the major production companies decided to sit this one out. It was really cool to see new faces with new ideas come out of the woodworks. So, I did as we always do with The Bloody Reel, rate and list the movies in a "Top" list.
From Mark's Dark Corner, I present the Top 15 Horror Movies that I felt were the best of 2020!
15. The Mortuary Collection, by Ryan Spindell (Director/Writer)
The Mortuary Collection is a group of short stories rolled into one fantastic Anthology where the overlaying narrative part of the movie also ties in with the short stories being told. The acting is spectacular, the storyline does a great job of tying all the stories together, and the gore is very colorful, often, and quite disturbing! Think Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark...only not PG-13. It is "Not Rated" and takes substantial freedoms with content and gross gore. I definitely recommend this one for anthology and gore lovers.
3.5 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
14. Come to Daddy, Ant Timpson (Director/Co-Writer), Toby Harvard (Co-Writer)
Ant Timpson brings us this strange tale of Norval (Elijah Woods) who receives a letter from his estranged father, of whom he has neither seen nor heard from in 30 years. When Norval arrives at his father's remote isolated house the reunion between father and son does not go anywhere near Norval's expectations. Also, something seems off. When revealed why things are feeling wrong, Come to Daddy takes a nasty unforeseeable twist. The movie takes the audience down a bloody violent path as Norval discovers the truths about his father. Part creative dark humor, part mystery with intensity, part violent blood-fest, Come to Daddy was surprisingly fun and a really enjoyable ride. Click here for a more in-depth review: Come to Daddy Bloody Review.
4.0 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
13. Spontaneous, Brian Duffield (Director/Co-Writer), Aaron Starmer (Co-Writer)
Spontaneous is one of those movies that you'll be laughing and feeling heart-warmed by the love story between the main characters one moment, and then the next moment covered in blood and cringing because another teen in the movie suddenly exploded. In this coming-of-age Hor-RomCom (Horror Romantic Comedy if you missed that episode of ours) Seniors in one particular High School begin to randomly explode. Spontaneous is very creative and is as grim and serious as it is comedic and romantic. Here's the link to a full review I wrote on this movie: Spontaneous Bloody Review
3.5 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
12. His House, Remi Weeks (Director/Co-Writer), Felicity Evans (Co-Writer), Tony Venables (Co-Writer)
His House is one of the bleakest horror movies of 2020. Not only have Bol and Rial Majur endured a harrowing escape from their home country in Sudan, wrought with violence, they then face the injustices of the immigration systems in UK (as portrayed in the movie). To add to their struggles the locals in UK do not welcome the refugee pair with accepting arms. And that's not even including the supernatural haunting of their new home. The movie is grim, creepy, and dark with great visuals all the way through to the suspenseful ending. The acting and storyline are spectacular, including a great twist that has you debating how you feel about the main character, Bol. Here's the link to a full review I wrote on this movie: His House Bloody Review
3.5 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
11. Bad Hair, Justin Simien (Director/Writer)
Bad Hair landed well with me due to its nod to the late 80's early 90's MTV generation/era where DJ's and artists battled for screen time and popularity, and music videos were the next best thing for music. Where image is everything, Anna gets a new weave hairstyle to impress the bigwigs of a music television station, much-like MTV. She is plunged into a life-or-death battle against the supernatural being that possesses her weave and is trying to take control of her mind and body. I liked Bad Hair for its look, uniqueness, and style as a B-Rated movie that can be respected well above that.
3.5 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
10. Anything for Jackson, Justin K. Dyke (Director), Keith Cooper (Writer)
Anything for Jackson wins Mark's Dark Corner's 2020 award for the movie that I was avoiding for no clear reason, then was confounded that I had put it off for so long. I was pleasantly surprised with the movie. The acting was superb across the board and the storyline and flow were seamless and strong. There were cringe-worthy bloody scenes, and the ghosts were creepy and well thought-out. Anything for Jackson is a nice breath of fresh air with its different take on the occult, exorcism, and possession realm, but with enough dark humor sprinkled in to lighten the mood once in a while. I highly recommend this one. Here's my review: Anything for Jackson Bloody Review .
4.0 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
9. Extra Ordinary, Mike Ahern (Co-Director/Co-Writer), Edna Loughman (Co-Director), Demian Fox (Co-Writer), Maeve Higgins (Co-Writer/Actor)
I laughed my pants off with Extra Ordinary. Fresh, romantic, and heavy with Irish humor, this movie has everything in it: Possession, demon summoning, poltergeists, virgin sacrificing, exploding virgins, ectoplasm, romance and love, Will Forte, and more ectoplasm. The Will Forte addition really solidifies this movie, even though all the actors were really spot on. And, although this movie is a Horror Comedy Romantic movie, the blood and gore are surprisingly gruesome when it happens, which makes it really effective. Anyone looking for a change of pace and something with dark but witty humor, Extra Ordinary is the one. Go watch it! Here's my review for more info: Extra Ordinary Reel Review
4.0 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
8. Host, Rob Savage (Director/Co-Writer), Gemma Hurley (Co-Writer), Jed Shepherd (Co-Writer)
Released July of 2020 on Shudder, one could not relate more to this 57-minute adrenaline rush of a Zoom call that takes place in the middle of the pandemic lockdown. The only difference being that these five friends are joining to perform a virtual seance. What could possibly go wrong with that?! If you need a quick jump fix that is high intensity and really well done, just fit this shorter-than-an-HBO-show movie in. It's worth it! Timing was everything with this movie. Here's my review: Host Reel Review
4.25 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
7. The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Jim Cummings (Director/Writer/Actor)
The Wolf of Snow Hollow caught me by surprise. I was expecting a half-decent ho-hum werewolf movie but wishing for a great movie within the genre again. What I got was a movie in my top 7 from the year. But not for being a stellar werewolf movie, but for the script, production, main character, and humor. The humor is dry and dark, but I was cracking up through most of the movie. And I will be on the watch for any Jim Cummings Horror movies that come out since he did such a great job of Directing, producing, and acting as the conflicted Sheriff with a potential drinking problem. The twist at the end really tied the movie together in a way that other "werewolf" movies have not. Here's my review: Wolf of Snow Hollow Reel Review
4.0 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
6. Underwater, William Eubank (Director), Brian Duffield (Co-Writer), Adam Cozad (Co-Writer)
Underwater could've landed exactly where people critiquing it said it would, which is just another Alien/Aliens wannabe...only deep underwater instead of in deep space. I feared that as well, but any Alien/Aliens vibe it gave off only made the movie more likable. I was afraid I wouldn't like Kristen Stewart in the lead role, but she was a perfect fit as the Antagonist going through this situation. Not a hero, just human, and real, in a messed up frightful situation. TJ Miller was amazing as the comedy relief, sort of that Hudson-Factor from Aliens. So yes, there were some similarities to Aliens, but that's what I loved about it! And it differentiated enough from similar movies that Underwater stands out as its own fierce enjoyable thriller. My review can be read here: Underwater Reel Review
4.25 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
5. The Hunt, Craig Zobel (Director), Nick Cuse (Co-Writer), Damon Lindelof (Co-Writer)
The Hunt pits Leftist and Rightist Americans against each other as they fight for their lives, which sparked from social media conspiracy theories. Sounds extremely relevant for nowadays, right? What's great about what they did with this face off is that both sides are equally mocked, and the point of the movie states "ALL Americans bleed red" regardless of opinion or stances. The Hunt is wrought with brutal and explicit death scenes, some of which will make people squirm, and that is most likely the intent. You can read my review right...meow: The Hunt Reel Review
4.0 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
4. The Invisible Man, Leigh Whannell (Director/Co-Writer), H.G. Wells (uncredited)
I deem The Invisible Man as the most intense film of 2020, and possibly even before last year. There's literally only one small stint in this movie where you get to sit back and relax, which is the same for Cecilia, the main character. She is trying to escape the controlling damaging grip her husband has over her, even after his apparent suicide. This rendition of H.G. Wells novel from 1897 is superb from top to bottom, cinematography, acting, production value, suspense, storyline, etc. It has it all! My review: The Invisible Man Reel Review
4.5 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
3. Possessor, Brandon Cronenberg (Director/Writer)
Possessor comes to us from the son of the great David Cronenberg, and I couldn't be more pleased with where Brandon Cronenberg may be headed. Possessor is a mind-trip which pulls off being a futuristic Sci-Fi film while making the settings and experiences completely relatable. Even with a simplistic storyline, where a corporation performs assassination hits by taking complete control of a hand-picked host's mind and body, Cronenberg succeeds in providing a tense, visually stunning, explicitly bloody, thrill ride. And the ending is...brutal! Read more of what I thought on Possessor: Possessor Reel Review
4.5 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
2. Freaky, Christopher Landon (Director/Co-Writer), Michael Kennedy (Co-Writer)
I didn't think Vince Vaughn as the killer in a slasher movie would really be that good. But, when you add in the body-swap aspect, and you have Vince Vaughn running around acting like a 16-year-old high schooler who is possessing his body, that's how you make it successful. Blumhouse Productions basically took Happy Death Day (which I loved), changed it from a PG-13 rating to an R rating, threw in a handful of above-and-beyond gruesome slasher kill scenes, and voila! You have my second favorite movie from 2020. This Horror Comedy is one of my favorites from the last several years. The Bloody Reel will be releasing our next episode in which we fully review Freaky. Keep an eye out for that episode!
4.5 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
1. The Dark and the Wicked, Bryan Bertino (Director/Writer)
And here we are! Number 1 in my Top 15 2020 Horror movie list. The Dark and the Wicked is the scariest and creepiest movie I've seen in quite some time. So much so that I originally didn't think I would ever watch it more than once. And now I've seen it three times! The movie is really bleak, dark, and absolutely wicked to the characters in the film. An uninvited, relentless, evil entity makes itself at home in a family's remote rural farm. The affect the evil being has on the family only intensifies as the movie progresses to a brutal, yet effective, ending. You can read my review on this here: The Dark and the Wicked Reel Review
4.0 Bloody Reels out of 5.0
That wraps up my Top 15 2020 Horror movie list!
Thanks for following along with my reviews from the last several months as I watched, critiqued, and reviewed the Bloody Disgusting's Top 15. I set out to see if I agreed with their order and choices. It helped me to discover my own list of the best of 2020.
You can comment below, or on our Facebook page, to let The Bloody Reel know what your top movies from 2020 were, or what you agree with, or not, from Mark's Dark Corner's Top 15!
Now on to 2021...List compiling.
Here are a couple Runner Up movies that didn't make the list, but I thoroughly enjoyed:
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