Top 5 Horror Movies For The Last Year

As I have mentioned many times before, horror is my favourite movie genre. Granted, there are many misses in this particular genre, but when a horror film works, I find myself completely emersed and I love the feeling of being scared. Over the passed few months, we have seen many great horror flicks make their way to physical media, but in the case you missed some of these releases, I am here to break down which ones you need to check out. Today I will be giving my five favourite horror flicks that have released on physical media over the past few months. So, without further ado, here are my picks for the ‘Top five hottest horror flicks for the last year’:

The Empty Man (2020) – I have spoken about ‘The Empty Man’ before,  but this film continues to grown on me and people have still yet to check it out. The film incorporates elements of horror, suspense with a detective twist added to the film as well. It is well-acted, superbly directed by David Prior. Prior creates some of the scariest scenes put to film in recent years, one scene in particular had me quite creeped out. The set-up  for the scene sees our main character James (played by the terrific, James Badge-Dale), whilst investigating the disappearances, come across a cabin in the woods where the cult that he has been investigating is meeting. The sequence is superbly crafted, not relying on jump scares, but rather creating genuine suspense through great shot composition and lighting. ‘The Empty Man’ is a cult classic in the making and a profound horror-flick but the film is one of the best I have seen recently and I would highly recommend it. 

The Unholy (2021) – One of the biggest releases on 2021, ‘The Unholy’ hit cinemas just as cinemas first re-opened without restrictions in March 2021. The film has familiar elements, adding to the procession genre, however, the inclusion of actor Jeffrey Dean-Morgan was a great inclusion. He elevates the material, giving a truly engaging performance as our lead character Gerry Fenn. The film is filled with effective scares and interesting sequences of suspense that had me genuinely on the edge of my seat. 
You Should Have Left (2020) – Another casualty of the 2020 movie season was ‘You Should Have Left’. The film set in Wales, sees Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried isolated in a house that may have a sinister secret. The film benefits from its great cast. Both Seyfried and bacon are great together. The films intrigue as well, kept me interested nearly the entire film. I also liked that the house was more modern, usually with these types of horror flicks, the house is old and decrepit and does not normally fit the aesthetic of an everyday house, yet this modern household feels more appropriate . the setting in Wales is also unique, we have not seen a horror flick set in this location before and I found the town itself eerie and strange and the setting refreshing. 

The Craft Legacy (2020) – Blumhouse have rebooted quite a few dormant horror franchises in recent years with ‘Black Christmas’, ‘The Invisible Man’ and ‘Halloween’ recently, in 2020 they took on yet another franchise with ‘The Craft Legacy’. This film whilst acknowledging the events of the 1996 film, takes a different approach, acting as more of a soft-reboot rather than a remake. I found the film to be thoroughly entertaining, due to the way the characters are all established. The villains are also well-established, their goals make sense and you understand where they are coming from, whether you agree with them is another story, but as far as clear motivation, it makes sense.

Freaky (2020) – This film is definitely not your typical horror/slasher flick. The film was helmed by Christopher Landon, the creator of ‘Happy Death Day’ & ‘Happy Death Day 2 U’. Both of these films played with science-fiction and horror, creating a genre hybrid that was thoroughly entertaining. Landon does the same here presenting a body-swap horror flick but with the twist of one of the characters being a slasher villain. The film is a lot of fun, with our lead Vince Vaughn delivering one of his best performances in years. He is hilarious, but also quite menacing when he needs to be as well. Kathryn Newton is also great in the film, balancing both personas she is portraying quite well. The film is bloody but also hilarious. I had a great time with ‘freaky’ and would highly recommend it to horror fans and comedy fans alike.

All of the above mentioned horror flicks, I found to be thoroughly entertaining. As I mentioned, I am a sucker for the genre, good or bad, I can find something to enjoy. Make sure you check out these release today and pick up copies from your local Sanity or online.

Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here