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An error has ocurred. Please try againI'll be adding to this list throughout the year. It'll be in a vague order, but don't pay too much attention to the placings.
Honourable mentions: Velvet Buzzsaw, Annabelle Comes Home, The Dead Don't Die, I'll Take Your Dead, Villains.
This list isn't in much of an order right now, apologies for that.
There's a few films here that are PG / PG-13, but I think they have a dark enough tone (or crude enough humour) to appeal to adults wanting something that isn't as saccharine as most Xmas movies.
The list is in a very vague order of quality / Xmas feeling / humbug-ness, etc. It's not an exact science!
Films are in a vague order of quality, starting with the better ones. Every film in the main list I gave at least 6/10.
Honourable mentions: Sea Fever (2019), Room For Rent (2019), Spree, Bloody Hell.
NOTE: Despite 2020 generally being a pretty terrible year for everyone all around the world, it was one of the best years for horror films in recent memory!
The list in in a vague order, starting with the better ones.
Honourable mentions: The Thing (2011 version!), The Tunnel, Twixt, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, The Devil's Rock, The Rite, Inbred,
Honourable mentions:
Pet, The Monster, Underworld: Blood Wars, Blair Witch.
It's in a vague order, but don't pay too much attention to the placings.
Honourable mentions: Wildling, The Cured, Summer Of 84, Hellraiser: Judgement, The Little Stranger, Before I Wake, Fractured, The Witch in the Window, Butterfly Kisses.
WHAT IS LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR?
I'm using the definition of Lovecraftian horror as to mean; fear of the unknown, cosmic horror, inter-dimensional horror, alternate realities, horror coming from beyond (or breaking) the limits of human understanding (usually resulting in madness due to things the human mind cannot comprehend), mad science, ancient-Egyptian evil, secret sects, indescribable horrors, ancient beings / evil & Elder Gods who have either a malevolent attitude towards humans or complete indifference, and the cults that worship them.
The inclusion of any of the above elements in a film *could* be considered Lovecraftian, but it's often about the execution and "feel" of a film - surreal, mind-bending, nightmarish and other-worldly. So I'll bend the rules for a few films, taking tone and atmosphere into account, as well as not including every horror film with an alien or fish monster ever made!
Honourable mentions (films either not quite Lovecraftian enough, or just not all that great):
Inferno (1980), Planet of the Vampires (1969), Ghostbusters (1984), Pyewacket (2017), Father's Day (2011), Europa Report (2013), Baby Blood (1990), Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), Lurking Fear (1994), Curse (1987), Die! Monster, Die! (1965), The Mole People (1956), The Shuttered Room (1967), The Unnamable (1988), Jug Face (2013), Stargate (1994), Dogora (1964), Cool Air (2006), Grave Encounters 2 (2012), Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), Pandorum (2009), Forbidden World (1982), Faust (2000), Humanoids from the Deep (1980), Phantoms (1998), Observance (2015), Hotel Inferno (2013), YellowBrickRoad (2010), Necromentia (2009), Life (2017),
List is in a vague order, starting with the better films.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS: 47 Meters Down, The Blackcoat's Daughter, The Mummy, Happy Death Day, Dead Shack.
Reviews
Z (2019)
A silly, formulaic horror film.
I'm only writing a review to warn against trusting the bizarrely high Metascore, currently at a 63. I usually find myself agreeing more with the Metascore of a film than the IMDB user score, which is why I gave this stinker a watch, but I'd strongly advise against it in this instance.
The film is incredibly formulaic and lacking in almost any characterisation; the lead character is a mother (that's her only character trait), there's her elderly dying mother who we see for about 30 seconds, a sister who turns up and only has a few paragraphs of dialogue despite being one of the films only main characters, a psychiatrist who seemingly believes in imaginary ghost spirits without question and is still allowed to practise, a husband who's job is drawing lines with a ruler?! There's honestly no depth here at all, they're just paper cut outs of people.
The first 10 minutes or so are promising, but it soon becomes apparent that this is a hack job, with a bloody ridiculous third act just bring the icing on the cake.
Aside from two decent CGI "spooky ghost" jump scares, the only really horrifying scene is one based on visiting the child's friends house very early on in the film.
This is absolute dreck on the same level as The Nun, Annabelle, The Curse of La Llorona, et al.
If you want a decent imaginary friend-themed horror film, you'd be better off watching Daniel Isn't Real (2019), The Orphanage (2007), Session 9 (2001), The Conjuring (2013), or even Hide & Seek (2005) is better than this.
Alternatively, psychological horror films that deal with parenthood like The Babadook (2014), Under the Shadow (2016), The Shining (1980), Don't Look Now (1973) or this years stunning 'The Lodge' are far more worthy of your time.