Last
year I didn’t look at the box office numbers before making my list. So I thought I
would take a peak before making this year’s list just to see how my picks
measured up with the box office. Obviously that does no good for DVD or limited
releases but still. So here’s a quick look at some domestic box office results
from Box Office Mojo (as of 12/28).
#15
Snow White and the Huntsman $155,136,755
#16
Hotel Transylvania $143,923,820
#19
Prometheus $126,477,084
#33
Dark Shadows $79,727,149
#45
Underworld Awakening $62,321,039
#51
ParaNorman $55,980,775
#54
The Woman in Black $54,333,290
#55
Paranormal Activity 4 $53,851,000
#56
The Devil Inside $53,261,944
#59
The Grey $51,580,236
#61
The Possession $49,130,154
#63
Sinister $47,977,484
#72
Resident Evil: Retribution $42,345,531
#73
The Cabin in Woods $42,073,277
#78
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter $37,519,139
#85
Frankenweenie $34,485,378
#87
House at the End of the Street $31,611,916
Interesting right? Yes, I included a
movie or two that might not have been exactly horror, and animated horror
movies as well. And no, I didn’t want to look at the number of theaters. That’s
just digging too deep into it. I’m sure you’re already scratching your head at
where some of these movies landed. So let’s see if any of these movies landed
on my lists.
#4 Juan of the Dead: Ok, I have to give some love to some lesser-known
horror movies, so here’s my surprise pick. This movie is simply hilarious, especially
for a guy from Miami. Yes, there might be some political jokes that not
everyone might get, but there are plenty of jokes for everyone. Speaking of
plenty, there is plenty of zombie kills for those who are looking for zombie
deaths as well.
#3 The Tall Man: This movie is brought to us by Pascal Laugier, who did
“Martyrs” (a must see). It might not be as horrifying as “Martyrs,” but it
holds its own. While it starts off more of a horror movie, it becomes a good
thriller/mystery movie. The acting is solid, and the best thing about it is all
the twists and turns. It definitely keeps the audience on their toes.
#2 The Cabin in the Woods: Here’s the movie that promised to be original while
looking like the typical horror movie. It created a lot of buzz, and had
everyone hiding the big secret in the movie. By the way, can we talk about that
secret yet? Anyway, it’s that secret that makes the movie different as
promised. Besides the typical horror stuff, the movie also includes a good
amount of comic relief. I’m sure I will see this movie at the top of many of lists. It was looking like number 1 for along time, but was
overtaken late in the year by…
#1 Sinister: For
me, this was an easy choice. I love everything about this movie. It has
suspense, tension, scares, and plenty of horror. I appreciate the different use
of found footage, the acting is great, and love the look of Mr. Boogie. No way
did I expect it to be this good before seeing it, so I’m glad I got a chance
to see it. I will look for a movie to top this next year!
My
Top 5 Worst Horror Movies of 2012:
#5 The Apparition: Unfortunately for this movie I just
watched it so I know how much it sucks over others I might have forgotten
about. To start off, all the experiment talk is just too confusing. They went
too fast for my slow mind. The audience will never care about the couple
because they are just thrown into the middle of the couple’s lives. They give
it a decent attempt to scare audiences, but fall short. And it has a common theme with several of the movies on this list... a terrible ending.
#4 The Innkeepers: I should have known there would be nothing interesting about a pair of innkeepers (sorry people who are innkeepers). Really, this movie just tries and tries to build to something spectacular happening, but all the audience gets are two people babysitting a hotel with almost no one in it. And when the so-called spectacular event happens, it amounts to whatever you want to call is the opposite of spectacular. The only thing about this movie that haunts me is how I wasted my time watching it. (Yes,
technically this came out at the end of 2011, but was released in limited
theaters in 2012 so I included it)
#3 Paranormal Activity 4: Just
when Paranormal Activity was starting to grow on me they had to give us this
waste of a movie. It’s as if they waited to the last minute in order to make
another movie. The scares are weak, the story is full of holes, and audiences
won’t care about this new family. Worst of all, they just don’t include
anything new and special about the previous movies. If you look at the box
office numbers above, you will see why there will be a 5th part.
#2 Chernobyl Diaries: This
movie has a similar theme to say “The Hills Have Eyes” or “Wrong Turn,” but it
certainly doesn’t live up to those movies. I had some hope for it because the
setting seamed to make sense, and the story tried to be different. However, the
scares are weak because they let the audience hear more of the deaths than see
them. Actually, the random use of animals is more scary. And yes, a predictable ending.
#1 The Devil Inside: This
movie certainly didn’t start 2012 off with a bang. Just because it’s a found footage
exorcism movie didn’t mean it brought anything else new to exorcism movies.
There are a few bloody moments, but is lacking in scares. Since it’s a
documentary, there is way too much boring conversation going on. And let’s not
forget the dreadful, and much talked about ending.
Interesting how I didn’t review many of these bad movies. I guess that is a good thing for me although I did watch them.
Interesting how I didn’t review many of these bad movies. I guess that is a good thing for me although I did watch them.
Horror
movies I wanted to see but haven’t: Frankenweenie, Grave Encounters 2, Resident Evil: Retribution, and The Bay
Horror
movies I'm most looking forward to seeing next year: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D, Evil Dead, and Insidious 2.
If you are curious about my list from last year, here it is:
