BEST 2019 HORROR MOVIES

When one horror year ends and another one begins the ‘best of' lists start appearing on everyone’s favorite sites and blogs. Now it’s my turn at making a list. Honestly, I hate doing this when I know I’ve missed some important movies that might have ended up on this list. However, I’ll do the best with what I saw, and note some of the ones I missed at the bottom. While I call it a ‘best of' list, it's really just my favorite horror films of 2019. So here are my favorites…

5. Us- Yes, I probably ranked one or two others higher during the year, but looking back at all the movies as a whole I feel this deserves a spot up here. It was creepy, tense, and weird. If it missed the spot with some people, it was how the film wrapped up.

4. Satanic Panic- Either horror comedies have gotten better or I’ve gotten softer because I’ve enjoyed more of them every year. This one wins for horror comedy of the year for me with a great story that all adds up in the end. The comedy never stops, and it has plenty of terrific performances especially from Ruby Modine.

3. IT: Chapter Two- While I’m still undecided on which chapter I liked more, you still can’t avoid what Pennywise as meant to horror over the last couple of years. I’m always in for scares, and Pennywise definitely brings them. Not to mention the fantastic cast they were able to put together. It would be awesome to see Pennywise bring terror in a new way at some point.

2. Daniel Isn’t Real: This one could have very easily been number one. Just an amazing story from beginning to end touching on so many aspects of life. It gets crazier and crazier as it goes, and everyone in the movie was perfectly cast for their roles. Really deserved a bigger release than it got.

1. Haunt: Probably only beats Daniel Isn’t Real because this is truly my kind of movie. I love referring to it as the ‘haunted house from hell.’ It will certainly remind you of movies you’ve seen, but still manages to have some of its own uniqueness. For me, it’s always about the blood, guts, and deaths and this has plenty of it. And while some other films failed in the end, this one had a great ending!

Some of the films I missed include Ready or Not, Doctor Sleep, Midsommar, 3 From Hell, and a lot more than I thought (shame on me). Also note I didn't include One Cut of the Dead like on some other people's list because I saw it last year, and you'll find it on my top 5 from last year for sure! While there were some good films that got major theatrical releases, smaller festival films did plenty of damage. I’m sure Daniel Isn’t Real will make some top 10s, and there are other festival films that will be making top 10s. It’s good to see more films land on outlets like Shudder for all to see. Remember to give films a chance cause you never know when you find a gem. And no, I decided not to do a top 5 worst movies list, but will say The Dead Don’t Die is probably one of the worst I saw this year.

As a bonus, here are some short films that are worth a watch if you ever come across them:

La Noria, Other Side of the Box, Wild Love, Chowboys: An American Folktale, Frost Bite, Your Last Day on Earth, Boy Eats Girl: A Zombie Love Story, Finley, Most Steps Ever, Overkill, We Got a Monkey's Paw, Belphegor, Trick or Treat - Healing Old Wounds, and Baby Bird.

HorrO

BOY EATS GIRL: A ZOMBIE LOVE STORY REVIEW

A romantic comedy about two zombies who fall in love while fighting over a dead woman’s intestines.

Starring: Brandon W. Jones, Alexandra Ryan, and Annie Abrams

Directed by: Sarah Gurfield

Written by: Lauren Hynek, and Elizabeth Martin

  “Boy Eats Girl: A Zombie Love Story” starts the way ever zombie film should…with someone getting chased and eaten. In this case, a woman is running away from a boy zombie until she runs into a girl zombie. She falls down, and the two zombies start eating their meal. At first the boy is aggressive and pushes the girl away from the food, but then he seems to take a better look at her. In almost Disney like magic, the two zombies are struck by love, and turn their attention towards some zombie love making!

  Yes, the two zombies make their way over to some bushes for a little private time. Of course the boy falls asleep, so the girl gets up and wanders off. Soon enough the boy wakes, and is sad not to find the girl next him. He walks away apparently wanting more than a one night stand, but will he ever see her again?

  I’m always hesitant about watching romantic horror, but “Boy Eats Girl: A Zombie Love Story” easily proves why it’s an award winning short film. It’s not afraid to create zombies that still have some feelings other than that need to feed. It’s how they tell a typical relationship story, and make it work with zombies instead of regular people. They manage to find the right mix of horror, romance, and perfectly timed humor that makes it so entertaining. This film is definitely worthy of more festival awards, and hopefully will be made available for more audiences to see how this love story ends!

HorrO

2019 HORROR MOVIES

So where will 2019 ultimately end up in horror history? Well time will tell, but it didn’t seem to be too bad of a year. I’ll make my picks so enough, but I want to know what you thought of horror in 2019. What was your favorite movie? What was the best movie? What was the worst? What movies did you miss that you hope to see in the future? To help I put together a little video to remind you of some of the 2019 horror movies. I’m probably missing some, and others you can argue about release dates. Regardless, just take a look, see what 2019 brought horror fans, and let me know what you thought of 2019 horror…

SHORT CHRISTMAS HORROR FILMS

Happy Horrordays, and Merry Christmas to all! Your gift to us has been your support, and now we have a gift for you. Just because Halloween has past doesn’t mean you can’t have a little horror with your holiday fun. So take a few minutes, grab some eggnog, and check out some of the short Christmas horror films that we found for you! Hopefully you’ll find something more scary than sitting around the fireplace with your long lost relatives!

Merry Christmas,

HorrO’s Gory Reviews

PromoteHorror

Enjoy...

PRESEPE VIVENTE (LIVING NATIVITY) REVIEW

A neo pagan couple is terrorized by a divine presence after Agave, our heroin, accidentally spills some blood on the figurines while building a nativity scene. 

Starring: Alice Pintus, Marco Battaglia, and Alessandro Melito

Written and directed by: Lorenzo Fassina

  Everyone has their own way of decorating for the holidays. Some very simply put up a tree while some go all out with lights. And for others putting up a nativity scene is very important to them. However, you wouldn’t expect that to be the case for a pagan couple. Well it’s not the usual for Agave (Alice Pintus) and her boyfriend (Marco Battaglia), but she has been doing some reading and got too curious about other religions. While setting it up, she cuts her hand on a star, and the blood sparks the nativity scene and kicks starts “Presepe Vivente (Living Nativity).”

  The boyfriend wakes up in the middle of the night to find Agave standing next to the nativity scene. He’s shocked by her, and falls on the floor only to witness the first of several crazy moments. Make no mistake, the boyfriend does a lot of the watching like the audience, and Agave drives most of the action. She surprisingly brings the evil into the world, and she takes it out in glorious bloody fashion.

  Just think of “Presepe Vivente” as a nightmare for a pagan couple. This couple is thrown into their own wild, and bloody version of the birth of the Lord. When things seem to settle down, the couple and their family bring the nightmare to life in a very different Christmas dinner. Overall, it’s a great story that’s not afraid to push the limits while still managing to find the right moments for some humor. Dare to celebrate Christmas the pagan way, and watch this great short horror film.

Watch the film today in the Sunday Scares section of PromoteHorror.com at: http://promotehorror.com/2019/12/22/sunday-scares-presepe-vivente-living-nativity/

  HorrO

*There's an after credits scene*

HOUSE CALL REVIEW

Evil lives among us on the tree lined streets and painted homes of Suburbia. Be careful whose door you knock on. It doesn’t take much to arouse it.

Starring: Barry Tangert, and Kerwin Gonzalez

Written by: Joseph Sorrentino Jr.

Directed by: Daniel Brown

  When people first started doing door-to-door sales, it was probably a much safer time. It’s hard to imagine a world where people would actually leave their doors unlocked. Thanks to Amazon, the days of door-to-door salesmen are coming to an end. “House Call” proves it’s probably better that way!

  This short film doesn’t waste too much time getting to the point, as a salesman (Kerwin Gonzalez) soon enough finds himself strapped to a crazy man’s (Barry Tangert) table. Of course nothing good is going to happen to the salesman because the crazy man thinks he’s a doctor, and is ready for surgery. He original calls for heart surgery, but decides to add a couple of procedures before getting to the big one. 

  Barry really makes this short film work with how smoothly he plays the crazy doctor. He acts like he’s doing nothing wrong, and just going about his business. Also, his dialogue while operating is great, as he talks to a snowman and waits for a nurse that’s not there. For those who like a little blood and guts, they manage to torture the salesman just enough to make those with weak stomachs turn away! While this should mark the end of door-to-door salesmen, the ending reminds us of someone else who still knocks on the door these days! You’re better off watching terrific short films like “House Call” than knocking on strangers doors!

Watch the film today in the Sunday Scares section of PromoteHorror.com at: http://promotehorror.com/2019/12/08/sunday-scares-house-call/

  HorrO

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 25

Where The Scary Things are Episode 25: KILLER THERAPY with Barry Jay

We welcome back Barry Jay to the show. He talks about his upcoming movie KILLER THERAPY. Muse talks about Sibling Rivalry in her SINISTER 6. Kacy creeps us out in the Creepy Chronicles. MonsterMash Ken introduces a new segment: Horror Movie Flashback. Creature Feature of the Week with Chris the Creature: BLOOD!  Promotehorror.com 666 Rundown with HorrO!

Apple apple.co/2su8uaL

Spotify spoti.fi/2M0Vro1 

HOLIDAY HORROR WISH LIST

The Holiday Horror Wish List has become a tradition, so let me introduce it to those who haven't seen it yet. It's very simple, just imagine you are a little kid again, and are about to write a letter to Santa telling him what you want for Christmas. Except think of it as if you are writing to the Santa from "Silent Night, Deadly Night,” and are only going to be asking for things that are horror related. Basically I want all of you to come up with your own Holiday Horror Wish List. It could be something that you could really get like a DVD of your favorite horror movie of 2019, or an autograph from your favorite horror icon. Your list could also be something you would like to see happen in the world of horror for 2020 such as, a sequel to a horror movie, or no more remakes (not happening by the way)! To give you a few more examples, here's my Holiday Horror Wish List!

-Hopefully the Friday the 13th lawsuit will end in 2020 and we can get another movie! Of course, Kane has to play Jason! 

-If not Jason, I’ll take Kane as Crowley again!

-How about more festival films making it to the big screen instead of remake after remake? 

-Follow that with more conventions and festivals around the country for horror fans to enjoy.

-Continued success of Shudder and the awesome movies they bring horror fans!

  

-Any chance they change their minds and Supernatural comes back?

-It’s Christmas time so why not another Gremlins?

-HorrO wants a death scene in a horror movie! So if you're making a movie in Florida and need someone to die for free, let me know! 

-Continued success for everyone involved with horror. All the best to all the blogs, websites, podcasts, authors, filmmakers, and every creator of horror!

-Finally on a personal note, another big year at PromoteHorror.com

Now it's your turn! Please post your Holiday Horror Wish List in the comment section below or on our social media, and we will see if Horror Claus can make it come true!

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 24

Where The Scary Things Are Episode 24: PLAGUERS with Director and Producers BRAD and JOSEPHINA SKYES

In this Episode speak to Brad and Josephina Sykes director producer of PLAGUERS. This sci fi horror is a must see. Muse talks her Must See Recommendation in the Sinister 6. Chris the Creature gives his personal review of Plaguers. Killer Kacy creeps us out with her Creepy Chronicles and HorrO jumps in for the Promotehorror.com 666 Rundown

Apple apple.co/2RBIowM

Spotify spoti.fi/36n5o6L

Web bit.ly/2PfeIWS

THE HEAD HUNTER REVIEW

A medieval warrior’s gruesome collection of heads is missing only one - the monster that killed his daughter years ago.

Starring: Christopher Rygh, and Cora Kaufman

Directed by: Jordan Downey

Written by: Kevin Stewart, Jordan Downey

  Sometimes you want to see a horror movie just based on the title. You don’t need to know what it’s about because the name just sparks your imagination, and the possibilities to come. “The Head Hunter” had my head spinning with all the wonderful horrors that could come from that title. So the question is... did it live up to the title?

  First, it’s good to see a movie in the olden days because it changes things up, and gives the audience a new environment to take in. The lonely warrior (Christopher Rygh) lives in a home that looks nice, but has some interesting decorations (more on that soon). He tries to keep busy, but there is clearly something that is on his mind. Apparently he lost his daughter to a monster, and is taking out his anger and grief on all the monsters in the area until he finds the one who killed her. 

  Once he kills a monster, or two it’s easy to get anxious to actually see this happen, instead of him just coming back with the head. Yes, admittedly I was hoping for a few good monster fights, but there’s really only one fight which isn’t a grand production. While somewhat disappointed I can appreciate the direction they take, and they made it work. Instead of the fights, they build on the daily life of the warrior, and give more and more information about how he goes about finding and killing the monsters. It’s pieced together well, and manages to leave a little mystery out there.

  So if the audience doesn’t get monster kills, at least it gets to see him spike a few heads on the wall (yup the aforementioned decorations). When he finally finds the monster that killed his daughter, it might seem like this is going to be the fight the audience is waiting, but it’s not. He comes back victorious again with another head, and the movie is over. No, it’s time for a little twist, and something happens that won’t be spoiled here. A few of the things that are shown to the audience before come into play, and it extends the life of the film. The real beauty of it is what happens at the end, and how the title of the film really comes to light. 

  A final credit goes to Christopher for pulling off this character. He doesn’t have a lot of lines because the movie is so story driven, but he has to say a lot with his actions. He does well at playing the anger warrior, but never lets the audience forget he’s mourning the death of his daughter. Christopher brings out the everyday struggle the warrior goes through, and the eagerness to kill the next monster on his list. Never have I been so sad for a warrior!

  So yes, “The Head Hunter” lives up to its title, but not in the way I imagined. Yes, once it’s clear the story is about a warrior killing monsters I wanted nothing less than to see him decapitate a few of them. However, it also becomes clear that this movie is more about the story and set up to the twist, than showing off their special effects skill. Maybe it’s his grief, but there’s something that will keep the audience watching his journey even without the blood bath. In the end, it pays off and if the audience looks at the title and thinks about what just happened it should bring an extra little smile to their faces. With that, I give it 3.5 pools of monster head blood!

  HorrO

*Showing as a Shudder exclusive

WHERE THE SCARY THINGS ARE EPISODE 23

Where The Scary Things Are Episode 23: ECHOES OF FEAR with Laurence Avenet Bradley and Trista Robinson

In this Episode we welcome Producer Laurence Avenet Bradley and Lead Actress Trista Robinson from 2018's Echoes of Fear. Muse gives her worst family get togethers in Horror Movies in the Sinister 6. Creepy Chronicles with Killer Kacy. Chris the Creature reviews 1979 EFFECTS and HorrO gives us the Promote Horror 666 Rundown

Apple apple.co/34JQQOj

Spotify spoti.fi/2rImpJL

Web bit.ly/2PfeIWS