Independent movie company A24 has built an almost unprecedented level of brand identity and loyalty. Savvy moviegoers actually get excited seeing their rainbow chromatic card in front of movies, despite A24 not being associated with any one filmmaker (like J.J. Abrams with Bad Robot), genre (horror and Blumhouse), or medium (animation studios like Pixar). It’s simply a soft style that threads through the best movies they put out, not quite definable, that’s catnip to open-minded filmgoers and critics alike.
Critics Consensus: A vibrant exploration of family and social mores, On Becoming a Guineau Fowl marks another superb effort from writer-director Rungano Nyoni.
Synopsis: On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral [More]
Critics Consensus:Lady Bird delivers fresh insights about the turmoil of adolescence -- and reveals writer-director Greta Gerwig as a fully formed filmmaking talent.
Synopsis: A teenager (Saoirse Ronan) navigates a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf) over the course of [More]
Critics Consensus:Eighth Grade takes a look at its titular time period that offers a rare and resounding ring of truth while heralding breakthroughs for writer-director Bo Burnham and captivating star Elsie Fisher.
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of [More]
Critics Consensus: Led by arresting performances from Steven Yeun and Yeri Han, Minari offers an intimate and heart-wrenching portrait of family and assimilation in 1980s America.
Synopsis: A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, Minari follows a Korean-American family that moves to a tiny Arkansas [More]
Critics Consensus:The Farewell deftly captures complicated family dynamics with a poignant, well-acted drama that marries cultural specificity with universally relatable themes.
Synopsis: Billi's family returns to China under the guise of a fake wedding to stealthily say goodbye to their beloved matriarch [More]
Critics Consensus: A moving celebration of art's redemptive power, Sing Sing draws its estimable emotional resonance from a never better Colman Domingo and equally impressive ensemble players.
Synopsis: Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn't commit, finds purpose by acting in a [More]
Critics Consensus: Carrying off difficult subject matter with a light touch and wry sense of humor, Sorry, Baby triumphantly announces writer-director and star Eva Victor as a formidable talent.
Synopsis: Something bad happened to Agnes. But life goes on... for everyone around her, at least. [More]
Critics Consensus: Heavy yet hopeful, Earth Mama is a moving look at single motherhood on the margins that features outstanding work from writer-director Savanah Leaf and star Tia Nomore.
Synopsis: With two children in foster care, Gia, a pregnant single mother pitted against the system, fights to reclaim her family. [More]
Critics Consensus:The Florida Project offers a colorfully empathetic look at an underrepresented part of the population that proves absorbing even as it raises sobering questions about modern America.
Synopsis: Set in the shadow of the most magical place on Earth, 6-year-old Moonee and her two best friends forge their [More]
Critics Consensus: Led by Frankie Corio's tremendous performance, Aftersun deftly ushers audiences to the intersection between our memories of loved ones and who they really are.
Synopsis: At a fading vacation resort, 11-year-old Sophie treasures rare time together with her loving and idealistic father, Calum (Paul Mescal). [More]
Critics Consensus:First Cow finds director Kelly Reichardt revisiting territory and themes that will be familiar to fans of her previous work -- with typically rewarding results.
Synopsis: Two travelers, on the run from a band of vengeful hunters in the 1820s Northwest, dream of striking it rich [More]
Critics Consensus: As riveting as it is sad, Amy is a powerfully honest look at the twisted relationship between art and celebrity -- and the lethal spiral of addiction.
Synopsis: Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. [More]
Critics Consensus: A remarkable debut for writer-director Celine Song, Past Lives uses the bonds between its sensitively sketched central characters to support trenchant observations on the human condition.
Synopsis: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Two [More]
Critics Consensus: Tilda Swinton² is haunting in the gothic ghost story The Eternal Daughter, an ode to familial female ties that leaves much to unravel after the fog lifts.
Synopsis: An artist and her elderly mother confront long-buried secrets when they return to a former family home, now a hotel [More]
Critics Consensus:Menashe offers an intriguing look at a culture whose unfamiliarity to many viewers will be rendered irrelevant by the story's universally affecting themes and thoughtful approach.
Synopsis: Deep in the heart of New York's notoriously secretive Hasidic Jewish community, Menashe, a good-hearted but somewhat hapless grocery store [More]
Critics Consensus: Raw, bracingly honest, and refreshingly unconventional, Krisha wrings fresh -- and occasionally uncomfortable -- truths from a seemingly familiar premise.
Synopsis: Tensions rise at a Thanksgiving gathering when a troubled woman (Krisha Fairchild) reunites with the extended family that she abandoned [More]
Critics Consensus: With a gripping story and impressive practical effects, Talk to Me spins a terrifically creepy 21st-century horror yarn built on classic foundations.
Synopsis: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new [More]
Critics Consensus: Lust and violence collide to powerfully pulpy effect in Love Lies Bleeding, a well-acted addition to writer-director Rose Glass' growing body of exceptional work.
Synopsis: From Director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious [More]
Critics Consensus: Brought to life by delicate work from writer-director Paul Schrader and elevated by a standout performance by Ethan Hawke, First Reformed takes a sensitive and suspenseful look at weighty themes.
Synopsis: The pastor of a small church in upstate New York spirals out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an [More]
Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and above all entertaining, You Hurt My Feelings finds writer-director Nicole Holofcener as sharply perceptive as ever.
Synopsis: From acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener comes a sharply observed comedy about a novelist whose long standing marriage is suddenly upended [More]
Critics Consensus: The sweet chemistry between Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman is complemented by writer-director Mike Mills' empathetic work, helping C'mon C'mon transcend its familiar trappings.
Synopsis: Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his young nephew (Woody Norman) forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they are unexpectedly thrown [More]
Critics Consensus: Led by an outstanding Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once lives up to its title with an expertly calibrated assault on the senses.
Synopsis: Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action [More]
Critics Consensus: Dispassionately examining the ordinary existence of people complicit in horrific crimes, The Zone of Interest forces us to take a cold look at the mundanity behind an unforgivable brutality.
Synopsis: The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in [More]
Critics Consensus: Structurally beautiful and suffused with Adrien Brody's soulful performance, writer-director Brady Corbet's The Brutalist is a towering tribute to the immigrant experience.
Synopsis: Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to [More]
Critics Consensus: Led by incredible work from Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay, Room makes for an unforgettably harrowing -- and undeniably rewarding -- experience.
Synopsis: Held captive for years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the [More]
Critics Consensus:Pearl finds Ti West squeezing fresh gore out of the world he created with X -- and once again benefiting from a brilliant Mia Goth performance.
Synopsis: Filmmaker Ti West returns with another chapter from the twisted world of X, in this astonishing follow-up to the year's [More]
Critics Consensus: An affecting story powerfully told, The Last Black Man in San Francisco immediately establishes director Joe Talbot as a filmmaker to watch.
Synopsis: Jimmie and his best friend Mont try to reclaim the house built by Jimmie's grandfather, launching them on a poignant [More]
Critics Consensus: Surreal and unsettling, A Different Man overcomes an occasionally tenuous narrative grasp by virtue of its bold, provocative approach to serious themes.
Synopsis: Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns [More]
Critics Consensus:Ex Machina leans heavier on ideas than effects, but it's still a visually polished piece of work -- and an uncommonly engaging sci-fi feature.
Synopsis: Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) a programmer at a huge Internet company, wins a contest that enables him to spend a [More]
Critics Consensus: Narratively cut to the bone and geared up with superb filmmaking craft, Warfare evokes the primal terror of combat with unnerving power.
Synopsis: Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later), Warfare embeds audiences [More]
Critics Consensus: A brilliantly unsettling blend of body horror and psychological thriller, Saint Maud marks an impressive debut for writer-director Rose Glass.
Synopsis: The debut film from writer-director Rose Glass, Saint Maud is a chilling and boldly original vision of faith, madness, and [More]
Critics Consensus:The Spectacular Now is an adroit, sensitive film that avoids typical coming-of-age story trappings.
Synopsis: An innocent, bookish teenager (Shailene Woodley) begins dating the charming, freewheeling high-school senior (Miles Teller) who awoke on her lawn [More]
Critics Consensus: Brilliantly performed and smartly unconventional, The End of the Tour pays fitting tribute to a singular talent while offering profoundly poignant observations on the human condition.
Synopsis: Writer and journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) interviews author David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) for Rolling Stone magazine. [More]
Critics Consensus:In Fabric's gauzy giallo allure weaves a surreal spell, blending stylish horror and dark comedy to offer audiences a captivating treat.
Synopsis: A lonely divorcee visits a bewitching London department store to find a dress to transform her life. She soon finds [More]
Critics Consensus:The Humans takes its Tony-winning source material from stage to screen without sacrificing the essence of writer-director Stephen Karam's dysfunctional drama.
Synopsis: Erik Blake has gathered three generations of his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter's apartment in lower Manhattan. [More]
Critics Consensus:Slow West serves as an impressive calling card for first-time writer-director John M. Maclean -- and offers an inventive treat for fans of the Western.
Synopsis: A bounty hunter (Michael Fassbender) keeps his true motive a secret from the naive Scottish teenager (Kodi Smit-McPhee) he's offered [More]
Critics Consensus: Visually spectacular with a hyperactive sense of humor, Ne Zha II is a sequel that supercharges the original's charms while still being accessible for the uninitiated.
Synopsis: After the heavenly lightning, although Ne Zha and Ao Bing survived by becoming Spirits, they would soon dissipate completely. Taiyi [More]
Critics Consensus:A Prayer Before Dawn is far from an easy watch, but this harrowing prison odyssey delivers rich rewards -- led by an outstanding central performance from Joe Cole.
Synopsis: The amazing true story of Billy Moore, an English boxer incarcerated in Thailand's most notorious prison. Thrown into a world [More]
Critics Consensus:Uncut Gems reaffirms the Safdies as masters of anxiety-inducing cinema -- and proves Adam Sandler remains a formidable dramatic actor when given the right material.
Synopsis: A charismatic jeweler makes a high-stakes bet that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. In a precarious high-wire [More]
Critics Consensus: As thought-provoking as it is visually compelling, The Witch delivers a deeply unsettling exercise in slow-building horror that suggests great things for debuting writer-director Robert Eggers.
Synopsis: In 1630 New England, panic and despair envelops a farmer, his wife and their children when youngest son Samuel suddenly [More]
Critics Consensus:A Ghost Story deftly manages its ambitious themes through an inventive, artful, and ultimately poignant exploration of love and loss.
Synopsis: A passionate young couple, unexpectedly separated by a shocking loss, discover an eternal connection and a love that is infinite. [More]
Critics Consensus: Come to Dream Scenario for career-highlight work from Nicolas Cage -- and leave mulling over everything it has to say about pop culture's fickle whims.
Synopsis: Hapless family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing [More]
Critics Consensus: A visual treat filled out by consistently stellar work from Robert Pattinson, Good Time is a singularly distinctive crime drama offering far more than the usual genre thrills.
Synopsis: A bank robber stops at nothing to free his brother from prison, launching himself into a nightlong odyssey through New [More]
Critics Consensus: A one-man show set in a single confined location, Locke demands a powerful performance -- and gets it from a never-more-compelling Tom Hardy.
Synopsis: A man's (Tom Hardy) life unravels after he leaves a construction site at a critical time and drives to London [More]
Critics Consensus: So moving for a majority of its runtime that not even a manipulative ending can ruin the experience, Close is a tender and powerfully acted look at childhood innocence lost.
Synopsis: Leo and Remi are two thirteen-year-old best friends, whose seemingly unbreakable bond is suddenly, tragically torn apart. Winner of the [More]
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and steeped in Southern atmosphere, Mississippi Grind is a road movie and addiction drama that transcends each of its well-worn genres.
Synopsis: Convinced that his newfound friend (Ryan Reynolds) is a good-luck charm, a gambling addict (Ben Mendelsohn) takes the man on [More]
Critics Consensus: A gripping story brilliantly filmed and led by a pair of powerhouse performances, The Lighthouse further establishes Robert Eggers as a filmmaker of exceptional talent.
Synopsis: Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the [More]
Critics Consensus:Hereditary uses its classic setup as the framework for a harrowing, uncommonly unsettling horror film whose cold touch lingers long beyond the closing credits.
Synopsis: When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying [More]
Critics Consensus: Oh, hai Mark. The Disaster Artist is a surprisingly poignant and charming movie-about-a-movie that explores the creative process with unexpected delicacy.
Synopsis: The incredible true story of aspiring filmmaker and Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau as he and his best friend defiantly pursue [More]
Critics Consensus: Led by Simon Rex's magnetic performance, Red Rocket is another vibrant, ground-level look at modern American life from director/co-writer Sean Baker.
Synopsis: The audacious new film from writer-director Sean Baker (The Florida Project, Tangerine), starring Simon Rex in a magnetic, live-wire performance, [More]
Critics Consensus: Free of visual or narrative embellishments, Gloria Bell rests almost completely on Julianne Moore's performance in the title role -- and she's gloriously up to the task.
Synopsis: A free-spirited divorcee spends her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. She soon [More]
Critics Consensus:Lean on Pete avoids mawkish melodrama, offering an empathetic yet clear-eyed portrayal of a young man at a crossroads that confirms Charley Plummer as a major talent.
Synopsis: Charley, a teen living with his single father, finds work caring for an aging racehorse named Lean on Pete. When [More]
Critics Consensus: Made by a filmmaker in command of her craft and a star perfectly matched with the material, The Souvenir is a uniquely impactful coming of age drama.
Synopsis: A shy film student begins finding her voice as an artist while navigating a turbulent courtship with a charismatic but [More]
Critics Consensus: Tackling a sensitive subject with maturity, honesty, and wit, Obvious Child serves as a deeply promising debut for writer-director Gillian Robespierre.
Synopsis: An immature, newly unemployed comic (Jenny Slate) must navigate the murky waters of adulthood after her fling with a graduate [More]
Critics Consensus: Drawing on another terrific performance from Honor Swinton Byrne, The Souvenir Part II continues its story with profound emotional complexity and elegant storytelling.
Synopsis: In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with a charismatic and manipulative older man, Julie begins to untangle her fraught [More]
Critics Consensus: Painfully raw yet rewarding, God's Creatures explores the limits of a mother's love with an outstanding Emily Watson leading the way.
Synopsis: In a windswept fishing village, a mother is torn between protecting her beloved son and her own sense of right [More]
Critics Consensus: For viewers willing and able to adjust to its leisurely, recursive rhythm, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is a beautifully elegant exploration of grief and longing.
Synopsis: A lyrical, decades-spanning exploration across a woman's life in Mississippi, the feature debut from award-winning poet, photographer and filmmaker Raven [More]
Critics Consensus:The Green Knight honors and deconstructs its source material in equal measure, producing an absorbing adventure that casts a fantastical spell.
Synopsis: An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, THE GREEN KNIGHT tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev [More]
Critics Consensus: Powerfully acted and profoundly sad, The Iron Claw honors its fact-based story with a dramatization whose compassionate exploration of family ties is just as hard-hitting as its action in the wrestling ring.
Synopsis: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling [More]
Critics Consensus: A domestic nightmare that draws its most profound scares from Sally Hawkins' deranged performance, Bring Her Back is an exemplary chiller that reaffirms directors Danny and Michael Philippou as modern masters of horror.
Synopsis: A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother. [More]
Critics Consensus: Although its reach occasionally exceeds its grasp, After Yang yields rich rewards for those willing to settle into its low-key wavelength.
Synopsis: When his young daughter's beloved companion -- an android named Yang -- malfunctions, Jake (Colin Farrell) searches for a way [More]
Critics Consensus: Gritty, gripping, and weighted with thought-provoking heft, A Most Violent Year represents another strong entry in writer-director J.C. Chandor's impressive filmography.
Synopsis: In 1981 New York, a fuel supplier (Oscar Isaac) tries to adhere to his own moral compass amid the rampant [More]
Critics Consensus:It Comes at Night makes lethally effective use of its bare-bones trappings while proving once again that what's left unseen can be just as horrifying as anything on the screen.
Synopsis: After a mysterious apocalypse leaves the world with few survivors, two families are forced to share a home in an [More]
Critics Consensus:Zola captures the stranger-than-fiction appeal of the viral Twitter thread that inspired it -- and announces director/co-writer Janicza Bravo as a filmmaker to watch.
Synopsis: "Y'all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out? It's kind of long but full [More]
Critics Consensus:20th Century Women offers Annette Bening a too-rare opportunity to shine in a leading role -- and marks another assured step forward for writer-director Mike Mills.
Synopsis: In 1979 Santa Barbara, Calif., Dorothea Fields is a determined single mother in her mid-50s who is raising her adolescent [More]
Critics Consensus: Although it's frustratingly clumsy in certain respects, The Inspection is an affecting actors' showcase in service of some truly worthy themes.
Synopsis: In Elegance Bratton's deeply moving film inspired by his own story, a young, gay Black man, rejected by his mother [More]
Critics Consensus: As strange as it is thrillingly ambitious, The Lobster is definitely an acquired taste -- but for viewers with the fortitude to crack through Yorgos Lanthimos' offbeat sensibilities, it should prove a savory cinematic treat.
Synopsis: In a dystopian society, single people must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of [More]
Critics Consensus: Tim Robinson expands his exquisitely painful cringe comedy style to feature length with seamless results in Friendship, a toxic bromance that'll make audiences laugh and wince in equal measure.
Synopsis: Suburban dad Craig falls hard for his charismatic new neighbor, as Craig's attempts to make an adult male friend threaten [More]
Critics Consensus:Morris from America adds some novel narrative twists to its father-son story -- and gains added resonance thanks to a powerful performance from Craig Robinson.
Synopsis: A 13-year-old rapper (Markees Christmas) focused on hip-hop stardom falls for a rebellious classmate (Lina Keller) after moving from the [More]
Critics Consensus: Darkly imaginative and brought to life by a pair of striking central performances, Lamb shears expectations with its singularly wooly chills.
Synopsis: A childless couple in rural Iceland make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn. They soon face the [More]
Critics Consensus: With a distinctive visual aesthetic that enhances its emotionally resonant narrative, I Saw the TV Glow further establishes writer-director Jane Schoenbrun as a rising talent.
Synopsis: Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a [More]
Critics Consensus: With Problemista, Julio Torres' utterly unique sensibilities prove a perfectly cracked lens through which to find the surreal humor in bleak aspects of the human experience.
Synopsis: Alejandro (Julio Torres) is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in [More]
Critics Consensus: With Cailee Spaeny's performance in the title role leading the way, Priscilla sees Sofia Coppola taking a tender yet clear-eyed look at the often toxic blend created by mixing first love and fame.
Synopsis: When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes [More]
Critics Consensus: Spike Lee and Denzel Washington remix a classic with vibrantly contemporary results in Highest 2 Lowest, a swaggering thriller that lovingly showcases New York City.
Synopsis: When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the "best ears in the business", is targeted with [More]
Critics Consensus: Poignant and piercingly honest, While We're Young finds writer-director Noah Baumbach delivering some of his funniest lines through some of his most relatable characters.
Synopsis: Middle-aged filmmaker Josh Srebnick (Ben Stiller) and his wife, Cornelia (Naomi Watts), are happily married, but stuck in a rut. [More]
Critics Consensus: Ambitious, impressively crafted, and above all unsettling, Midsommar further proves writer-director Ari Aster is a horror auteur to be reckoned with.
Synopsis: A young American couple, their relationship foundering, travel to a Swedish midsummer festival where a seemingly pastoral paradise transforms into [More]
Critics Consensus: Its message may prove elusive for some, but with absorbing imagery and a mesmerizing performance from Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin is a haunting viewing experience.
Synopsis: Disguising herself as a human female, an extraterrestrial (Scarlett Johansson) drives around Scotland and tries to lure unsuspecting men into [More]
Critics Consensus:High Life is as visually arresting as it is challenging, confounding, and ultimately rewarding - which is to say it's everything film fans expect from director Claire Denis.
Synopsis: Monte and his baby daughter are the last survivors of a damned and dangerous mission to the outer reaches of [More]
Critics Consensus:The Hole in the Ground artfully exploits parental fears with a well-made horror outing that makes up in sheer effectiveness what it lacks in originality.
Synopsis: One night, Sarah's young son disappears into the woods behind their rural home. When he returns, he looks the same, [More]
Critics Consensus: It won't be for all tastes, but Funny Pages deserves credit for telling a coming-of-age story that leans heavier on cringe comedy than nostalgia.
Synopsis: A bitingly funny coming-of-age story of a teenage cartoonist who rejects the comforts of his suburban life in a misguided [More]
Critics Consensus: Tough and unsettling by design, Civil War is a gripping close-up look at the violent uncertainty of life in a nation in crisis.
Synopsis: From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they [More]
Critics Consensus:Mid90s tells a clear-eyed yet nostalgic coming-of-age tale that might mark the start of an auspicious new career for debuting writer-director Jonah Hill.
Synopsis: In 1990s Los Angeles, a 13-year-old spends his summer navigating between a troubled home life and a crew of new [More]
Critics Consensus: With appealing leads and a narrative approach that offers a fresh perspective on familiar themes, The Lovers tells a quietly absorbing story with unexpected emotional resonance.
Synopsis: A man and his wife, each embroiled in an extramarital affair, are sent reeling when they suddenly fall for the [More]
Critics Consensus:The Monster uses its effectively simple setup and a powerful lead performance from Zoe Kazan to deliver a traditional yet subtly subversive -- and thoroughly entertaining -- horror story.
Synopsis: A divorced mother and her headstrong daughter must make an emergency late-night road trip to see the girl's father. As [More]
Critics Consensus: A mature deconstruction of the conventional rom-com, Materialists provides its trio of swoon-worthy stars some of their meatiest material yet while reaffirming Celine Song as a modern master of relationship dramas.
Synopsis: A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex. [More]
Critics Consensus:The Killing of a Sacred Deer continues director Yorgos Lanthimos' stubbornly idiosyncratic streak -- and demonstrates again that his is a talent not to be ignored.
Synopsis: Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. [More]
Critics Consensus: Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh's palpable chemistry will snatch audiences' hearts before breaking them in We Live in Time, a powerful melodrama that uses its nonlinear structure to thoughtfully explore grief.
Synopsis: Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. Through snapshots [More]
Critics Consensus:American Honey offers a refreshingly unconventional take on the coming-of-age drama whose narrative risks add up to a rewarding experience even if they don't all pay off.
Synopsis: Star (Sasha Lane), an adolescent girl from a troubled home, runs away with a traveling sales crew that drives across [More]
Critics Consensus: Elle Fanning gives a terrific performance in this powerful coming-of-age tale about a pair of teenage girls whose friendship is unnerved by the threat of nuclear war.
Synopsis: In 1962 London, the lifelong friendship between two teenagers (Elle Fanning, Alice Englert) dissolves after one seduces the other's father. [More]
Critics Consensus: A phantasmagorical distillation of William S. Burroughs' preoccupations that's by turns meandering and vital, Queer marks one of Daniel Craig's most sterling performances yet.
Synopsis: 1950. William Lee, an American expat in Mexico City, spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few contacts [More]
Critics Consensus: Slow-building and atmospheric, The Blackcoat's Daughter resists girls-in-peril clichés in a supernatural thriller that serves as a strong calling card for debuting writer-director Oz Perkins.
Synopsis: During the dead of winter, a troubled young woman (Emma Roberts) embarks on a mysterious journey to an isolated prep [More]
Critics Consensus: Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson memorably smolder together in Babygirl, with writer-director Halina Reijn's clinical gaze keeping this sexually frank thriller more provocative than prurient.
Synopsis: A high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much [More]
Critics Consensus: A meditation on mortality full of risky stylistic gambits, Tuesday achieves real grace thanks to Julia Louis-Dreyfus' committed performance and director Daina Oniunas-Pusic's impressive ambition.
Synopsis: A mother (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, in a profoundly moving performance) and her teenage daughter (Lola Petticrew) must confront Death when it [More]
Critics Consensus:Skin could stand to go a bit deeper below its surface, but a worthy story and a committed performance from Jamie Bell make this timely drama well worth a watch.
Synopsis: A young man makes the dangerous choice to leave the white supremacist gang he joined as a teenager. With his [More]
Critics Consensus:Never Goin' Back benefits from the chemistry between leads Maia Mitchell and Camila Morrone, whose easy rapport lifts a coming-of-age story with uncommon insight.
Synopsis: Angela and Jessie are best friends intent on taking a wild beach trip, but when their roommate loses all of [More]
Critics Consensus:Into the Forest grounds its familiar apocalyptic framework with a relatable look at the bond between two sisters, compellingly brought to life by Elliot Page and Evan Rachel Wood.
Synopsis: In the wilds of the Pacific Northwest, two sisters must fight for survival after an apocalyptic blackout leaves them without [More]
Critics Consensus: A marvel of state-of-the-art puppetry and visual effects, The Legend of Ochi elevates its predictable story with enchanting presentation.
Synopsis: In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an [More]
Critics Consensus:The Death of Dick Long mixes dark humor with provocative ideas to produce a sharp blend that's admittedly uneven but uniquely satisfying.
Synopsis: In small-town Alabama, Zeke and Earl scramble to cover up the unlikely and illegal events that led to their friend's [More]
Critics Consensus:The Exception (The Kaiser's Last Kiss) elegantly blends well-dressed period romance and war drama into a solidly crafted story further elevated by Christopher Plummer's excellent work and the efforts of a talented supporting cast.
Synopsis: German soldier Stefan Brandt goes on a mission to investigate exiled German Monarch Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Kaiser lives in [More]
Critics Consensus:The Children Act showcases yet another powerful performance from Emma Thompson, who elevates this undeniably flawed picture into an affecting adult drama.
Synopsis: Judge Fiona May must race against the clock to determine the fate of a teenage boy in need of a [More]
Critics Consensus: Disarmingly odd and thoroughly well-acted, Swiss Army Man offers adventurous viewers an experience as rewarding as it is impossible to categorize.
Synopsis: Being stranded on a deserted island leaves young Hank (Paul Dano) bored, lonely and without hope. As a rope hangs [More]
Critics Consensus: Dwayne Johnson goes the distance with his transformative turn as Mark Kerr in The Smashing Machine, a gritty biopic that sidesteps cliché even at the expense of narrative satisfaction while still landing the dramatic body blows that count.
Synopsis: The true story of mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, whose obsession with greatness made him a legend [More]
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a strong performance from Jake Gyllenhaal and smart direction from Denis Villeneuve, Enemy hits the mark as a tense, uncommonly adventurous thriller.
Synopsis: A mild-mannered college professor (Jake Gyllenhaal) discovers a look-alike actor and delves into the other man's private affairs. [More]
Critics Consensus: A uniquely stylish whodunit, Medusa Deluxe positions debuting director/co-writer Thomas Hardiman as a talented filmmaker with exciting potential.
Synopsis: Talented, ambitious, and backstabbing hairstylists gather for a competition in England, only to find one of their own murdered before [More]
Critics Consensus: If its narrative and thematic reach sometimes exceeds its grasp, magnetic performances from a stellar cast help Men make the most of its horror provocations.
Synopsis: In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper (Jessie Buckley) retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to have [More]
Critics Consensus:Eddington carries a stellar cast, fearless direction by Ari Aster and an off-kilter story, but its tonal misdirection will often leave viewers wanting.
Synopsis: In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg [More]
Critics Consensus:Free Fire aims squarely for genre thrills, and hits its target repeatedly and with great gusto -- albeit with something less than pure cinematic grace.
Synopsis: When a black-market arms deal goes outrageously wrong, Justine finds herself caught in the crossfire, forced to navigate through a [More]
Critics Consensus: Challenging and rewarding in equal measure, Climax captures writer-director Gaspar Noé working near his technically brilliant and visually distinctive peak.
Synopsis: When members of a dance troupe are lured to an empty school, drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend [More]
Critics Consensus: Flawed yet viscerally effective, The Kill Team interrogates battlefield morality with a hard-hitting intensity further amplified by a talented cast.
Synopsis: When a young U.S. soldier in Afghanistan witnesses other recruits killing civilians under the direction of a sadistic sergeant, he [More]
Critics Consensus: From its eyebrow-raising title to its gleefully provocative humor, talented cast, and catchy songs, Dicks: The Musical is a cult movie in the making.
Synopsis: Two self-obsessed businessmen discover they’re long-lost identical twins and come together to plot the reunion of their eccentric divorced parents. [More]
Critics Consensus:Remember risks wandering into exploitative territory, but it's bolstered by some of Egoyan's best latter-day directing and a typically stellar performance from Christopher Plummer.
Synopsis: With help from a fellow Holocaust survivor (Martin Landau), a widower (Christopher Plummer) who struggles with memory loss embarks on [More]
Critics Consensus:Beau Is Afraid is overstuffed to the point of erasing the line between self-flagellation and self-indulgence, but Ari Aster's bravura and Joaquin Phoenix's sheer commitment give this neurotic odyssey undeniable power.
Synopsis: A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother in this bold and ingeniously depraved [More]
Critics Consensus: Fueled by engaging performances from Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson, the tension-filled The Rover overcomes its narrative faults through sheer watchability.
Synopsis: In the near future, mankind's greed and excesses have pushed civilization to the breaking point. Society is in decline, and [More]
Critics Consensus: Held together by a killer Brendan Fraser, The Whale sings a song of empathy that will leave most viewers blubbering.
Synopsis: A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance [More]
Critics Consensus:Laggies may not do as much with its ideas as it could, but it's buoyed by a winsome performance from Kiera Knightley, as well as Lynn Shelton's empathetic direction.
Synopsis: When 28-year-old Megan attends her 10-year high-school reunion, she realizes that very little in her life has changed. An unexpected [More]
Synopsis: A young American journalist stranded in present-day Nicaragua (Margaret Qualley) falls for an enigmatic Englishman (Joe Alwyn) who seems like [More]
Critics Consensus: Gritty, stylish, and smart, Son of a Gun serves up plenty of genre thrills while offering a refreshing change of pace for Ewan McGregor.
Synopsis: JR, a teenage criminal, is locked up for a minor crime and forced to adapt to the harsh realities of [More]
Critics Consensus:The Last Movie Star has a few poignant moments thanks to Burt Reynolds and Ariel Winter, but their performances are stranded in a middling drama unworthy of their efforts.
Synopsis: An aging screen icon gets lured into accepting an award at a rinky-dink film festival in Nashville, Tenn., sending him [More]
Critics Consensus: While it's certainly timely and beautifully filmed, The Bling Ring suffers from director Sofia Coppola's failure to delve beneath the surface of its shallow protagonists' real-life crimes.
Synopsis: A teenager (Israel Broussard) and his gang of fame-obsessed youths (Katie Chang, Taissa Farmiga) use the Internet to track the [More]
Critics Consensus:Woman Walks Ahead gets some extra mileage out of watchable work from Jessica Chastain and Michael Greyeyes, but uneven pacing and two-dimensional characters undermine their efforts.
Synopsis: A headstrong New York painter embarks on a dangerous journey to meet Sitting Bull but must face off with an [More]
Critics Consensus:Under the Silver Lake hits its stride slightly more often than it stumbles, but it's hard not to admire - or be drawn in by - writer-director David Robert Mitchell's ambition.
Synopsis: Sam is a disenchanted 33-year-old who discovers a mysterious woman, Sarah, frolicking in his apartment's swimming pool. When she vanishes, [More]
Critics Consensus:Trespass Against Us benefits from Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson's typically strong performances, even when they aren't quite enough to balance the story's narrative drift and awkward tonal shifts.
Synopsis: After an elaborate heist goes south, reluctant criminal Chad (Michael Fassbender) must find a way to escape from the clutches [More]
Critics Consensus: Receiving some sparkle from Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega's father-daughter rapport, Death of a Unicorn's broad satire is a bit too on the horn but makes for an entertainingly splattery creature feature.
Synopsis: A father (Paul Rudd) and daughter (Jenna Ortega) accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend [More]
Critics Consensus:How to Talk to Girls at Parties has energy and ambition, but is ultimately too unfocused to do much with either -- or develop its themes into a cohesive whole.
Synopsis: Worlds collide when Enn, a shy teenager in 1970s London, meets the beautiful and rebellious Zan at a party. They [More]
Critics Consensus:Tusk is pleasantly ridiculous and charmingly self-deprecating, but that isn't enough to compensate for its thin, overstretched story.
Synopsis: A U.S. podcaster (Justin Long) ventures into the Canadian wilderness to interview an old man (Michael Parks) who has an [More]
Critics Consensus: Equal parts sumptuous and vapid, Parthenope gains some radiance thanks to Celeste Dalla Porta's arresting performance but frustratingly finds writer-director Paolo Sorrentino out of his depth.
Synopsis: Parthenope, born in the sea of Naples in 1950, searches for happiness over the long summers of her youth, falling [More]
Critics Consensus: In spite of Aubrey Plaza's committed performance, Life After Beth remains a sketch-worthy idea that's been uncomfortably stretched to feature length.
Synopsis: A guy (Dane DeHaan) discovers that his girlfriend (Aubrey Plaza) has returned from the dead, but his joy turns to [More]
Critics Consensus:Hot Summer Nights is easy on the eyes and clearly indebted to some great films, but its strengths -- including a charismatic young cast -- are often outweighed by its uninspired story.
Synopsis: An awkward teenager gets in over his head dealing drugs while falling for his business partner's enigmatic sister during one [More]
Critics Consensus:Y2K earns points for ambition and sheer audacity, even if it struggles to keep the laughs coming while maintaining a messy tonal blend.
Synopsis: On the last night of 1999, two high school juniors crash a New Years Eve party, only to find themselves [More]
Critics Consensus:The Front Room gets some mileage out of Kathryn Hunter's memorably grotesque turn as an in-law from hell, but the scatological scares in this family squabble are more off-putting than frightening.
Synopsis: Everything goes to hell for newly-pregnant Belinda (Brandy Norwood) after her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) moves in. As the diabolical guest [More]
Critics Consensus: Malkovich is clearly having a ball playing a nefarious pop musician in Opus, but unfortunately the rest of this thriller is too conceptually confused for the star's fun to prove infectious.
Synopsis: A young writer (Ayo Edebiri) is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star (John Malkovich) who mysteriously [More]
Critics Consensus:Cut Bank contains typically outstanding work from its solid veteran cast, but it's lost in a dull morass of predictably derivative crime thriller clichés.
Synopsis: Things go from bad to worse when a murder witness (Liam Hemsworth) in small-town Montana tries to leverage the crime [More]
Critics Consensus:Equals is a treat for the eyes, but its futuristic aesthetic isn't enough to make up for its plodding pace and aimlessly derivative story.
Synopsis: Nia (Kristen Stewart) and Silas work together in a futuristic society known as the Collective. A seemingly utopian world, the [More]
Critics Consensus:Mojave has no shortage of talent on either side of the camera; unfortunately, it amounts to little more than a frustrating missed opportunity.
Synopsis: A down-and-out artist (Garrett Hedlund) has a dangerous and shocking encounter with an evil drifter (Oscar Isaac) in the desert, [More]
Critics Consensus: Stylistically overwrought and tedious, The Adderal Diaries aspires for profundity but instead feels like a shambolic class project thrown together right before it was due.
Synopsis: Suffering from writer's block, author Stephen Elliott (James Franco) reconnects with his estranged father (Ed Harris) while investigating the murder [More]
Critics Consensus: Just like its underserved protagonist, Barely Lethal is in disguise -- it wants you to think it's smarter than it is but it fails by falling prey to all the clichés it mocks.
Synopsis: Seeking a normal adolescence, a special-operations agent (Hailee Steinfeld) fakes her own death and enrolls in high school as an [More]
Critics Consensus:Dark Places has a strong cast and bestselling source material, but none of it adds up to more than a mediocre thriller that gets tripped up on its own twists.
Synopsis: A woman (Charlize Theron) confronts traumatic, childhood memories of the murder of her mother and two sisters when she investigates [More]
Critics Consensus: Dull, maudlin, and fundamentally empty, The Sea of Trees extinguishes the contributions of a talented cast and marks a depressing low point in director Gus Van Sant's career.
Synopsis: After traveling to Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher (Matthew McConaughey) meets a mysterious stranger (Ken Watanabe) who takes him [More]
Critics Consensus: There's no mystery here: The Vanishing of Sydney Hall may be nicely shot, but it is ultimately vapid and forgettable.
Synopsis: An enigmatic detective embarks on a cross-country search for a once-prominent author who's mysteriously disappeared after a string of dangerous [More]
Welcome to our ranking of movies and series of Anya Taylor-Joy! We start with her Certified Fresh works, including her career introduction in The Witch, Netflix’s addictive chess miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, Edgar Wright’s swinging Last Night in Soho, and the fifth season of Peaky Blinders. Those are followed by Glass, the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan’s surprising Split, and the long-delayed New Mutants, the last in Fox’s run with Marvel and X-Men. Her latest was Furiosa, the lore-deep prequel Mad Max: Fury Road.
Critics Consensus: Its moves aren't always perfect, but between Anya Taylor-Joy's magnetic performance, incredibly realized period details, and emotionally intelligent writing, The Queen's Gambit is an absolute win.
Critics Consensus: Retroactively enriching Fury Road with greater emotional heft if not quite matching it in propulsive throttle, Furiosa is another glorious swerve in mastermind George Miller's breathless race towards cinematic Valhalla.
Synopsis: Snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, young Furiosa falls into the hands of a great biker horde led [More]
Critics Consensus: As thought-provoking as it is visually compelling, The Witch delivers a deeply unsettling exercise in slow-building horror that suggests great things for debuting writer-director Robert Eggers.
Synopsis: In 1630 New England, panic and despair envelops a farmer, his wife and their children when youngest son Samuel suddenly [More]
Critics Consensus: A bloody revenge epic and breathtaking visual marvel, The Northman finds filmmaker Robert Eggers expanding his scope without sacrificing any of his signature style.
Synopsis: The Northman is an epic revenge thriller, that explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for [More]
Critics Consensus: An epic fantasy adventure that will please old and new fans alike, Age of Resistance expertly builds on the lore of The Dark Crystal, crafting compelling new mythos without losing sight of the humanity at the story's heart.
Critics Consensus:Thoroughbreds juggles genres with panache, delivering a well-written and refreshingly unpredictable entry in the teen thriller genre.
Synopsis: Childhood friends Lily and Amanda reconnect in suburban Connecticut after years of growing apart. Lily has turned into a polished [More]
Critics Consensus: Other adaptations may do a better job of consistently capturing the spirit of the classic source material, but Jane Austen fans should still find a solid match in this Emma.
Synopsis: Beautiful, smart and wealthy, Emma Woodhouse navigates her way through misguided matches, romantic missteps and the challenges of growing up [More]
Critics Consensus: While Peaky Blinders's fifth season suffers somewhat from superficial characterization, it remains one of TVs most visually thrilling endeavors.
Critics Consensus:Barry opens a speculative window into a future president's formative college years, offering a flawed yet compelling glimpse of American history in the making.
Synopsis: Barack Obama arrives in New York in the fall of 1981 for his junior year at Columbia University. He struggles [More]
Critics Consensus:Split serves as a dramatic tour de force for James McAvoy in multiple roles -- and finds writer-director M. Night Shyamalan returning resoundingly to thrilling form.
Synopsis: Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still [More]
Critics Consensus: Although it struggles to maintain its thrilling early momentum, Last Night in Soho shows flashes of Edgar Wright at his most stylish and ambitious.
Synopsis: In acclaimed director Edgar Wright's psychological thriller, Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where [More]
Critics Consensus:Peaky Blinders' sixth season gracefully addresses the untimely passing of star Helen McCrory while setting the stage for a fitting climax to this epic saga of likable scalawags.
Critics Consensus:Radioactive's flawed script and counterproductive storytelling choices are offset by Rosamund Pike's central performance in a sincere tribute to a brilliant scientific mind.
Synopsis: After the death of her beloved husband, Marie Curie's commitment to science remains strong as she tries to explain previously [More]
Critics Consensus:Morgan neglects to develop its decent premise, opting instead to settle for a garden-variety sci-fi thriller with more action than ideas.
Synopsis: Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a bioengineered child who began walking and talking after one month of existence, exceeding the wildest [More]
Critics Consensus:Glass displays a few glimmers of M. Night Shyamalan at his twisty world-building best, but ultimately disappoints as the conclusion to the writer-director's long-gestating trilogy.
Synopsis: David Dunn tries to stay one step ahead of the law while delivering vigilante justice on the streets of Philadelphia. [More]
Critics Consensus: Rendering a list of potentially explosive ingredients mostly inert, The New Mutants is a franchise spinoff that's less than the sum of its super-powered parts.
Synopsis: Five teenage mutants -- Mirage, Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Sunspot and Magik -- undergo treatments at a secret institution that will cure [More]
Critics Consensus: Much like the toys it advertises, Playmobil: The Movie seems sadly destined to be regarded as a superficially similar yet less desirable alternative to the competition.
Synopsis: Maria and her younger brother Charlie find themselves magically transported to the fantastical world of Playmobil. While there, they encounter [More]
The signs were there. In between getting her start in things like The Little Rascals Save the Day and voicing a Disney Princess (Princess Isabel in Elena of Avalor), Jenna Ortega was slowly being drawn towards darker territory with roles in things like Insidious: Chapter 2 and Deadtime Stories. She was clearly not someone who was ever afraid to walk in the shadows. “I love blood and guts. I love to run for my life,” says Ortega, now having built up her dark side cred even more with the new Scream and the titular role in Netflix’s upcoming Addams Family spin-off Wednesday – while also tackling more emotionally raw (and sadly all-too-real) trauma to critical acclaim in The Fallout.
Ortega is currently putting her love of blood, guts, and flights of terror to the ultimate test in director Ti West’s painstaking tribute to the horror and porn of the 1970s, X. Ortega plays Lorraine, a member of a film crew out to shoot an adult movie in the middle of nowhere who discover the elderly couple whose barn they’re using as their makeshift production headquarters might be more than just annoying neighbors.
Ortega initially admitted that she was “scared of the question” when it came time to name her Five Favorite Horror Films – “When it comes to movies, or music, I have such admiration for so many that, to narrow it down, I feel like I’m always going to regret it” – but in the end, she was able to name the five that have influenced her the most lately and strike a chord with her darker side.
This is just classic horror, but also incredibly innovative for its time. It was one of the first representations of a story where you really didn’t know who the killer is, which makes the whole thing such a worse scenario. And the editing and filming and even acting are all really very true to its time. I especially enjoy it.
Insidious was one of the first horror films that I really saw and it… There are some shots in that film that stay with me, where I feel like I can still see the red-faced demon guy wherever I go. James Wan obviously knows what he’s doing in the horror department, but watching that as a 12-year-old was traumatizing. I have a lot of admiration for that one.
I really love Possession. It was actually a recommendation from Mikey Madison, on the Scream set. Not only is it hauntingly beautiful, but also unlike anything I’d ever seen before. I love watching a film and getting some kind of adrenalin out of it — that’s when I feel it’s done its job, when a film inspires you and gives you a bunch of ideas.
I have a lot of admiration for The Witch. Everything about it — the cinematography, storyline, the performances — it’s so high quality and so beautifully done. I think that’s a movie I thought about for weeks after I watched it. It just never gets old.
Oh my god, I’d never seen anything like that before. That movie just gave me chills all over… There’s certain shots where the two main characters’ faces are split, and I just… It’s incredible.
Eric Alt for Rotten Tomatoes: How do you prepare to tackle something like The Fallout, which is so emotional and rooted in trauma that is all-too-real for some people, as opposed to a film like X, which has more traditional horror elements?
Jenna Ortega: I wouldn’t say that I change my preparation for the roles, but there’s a different kind of caution that’s involved because, like you said, The Fallout is very real and very relevant, unfortunately. So there’s a certain sensitivity in telling a story that isn’t necessarily your own, but you still want to do it justice and maybe give people who do deal with something like this some sort of comfort or feeling of togetherness and not being so alone. It’s so unfortunate to say but I feel like there’s a whole new set of nerves and anxiety that comes with something like that. But with something like X, it’s a different kind of anxiety. I’m now working with people I’ve grown up watching or productions like A24 that I’m a massive fan of. It’s also very different from other horror roles that I’ve played. Any sort of new character is exciting and scary all at the same time, I would say.
Director Ti West is known for carefully and intricately recreating the look and feel of movies from specific eras. Did you see that painstaking process up close on the X set?
Ortega: Definitely. It was incredible. Even before I did the job, I had a nice conversation with Ti where there was just an immediate trust. I also knew that he writes and directs and edits a lot of his own work, so I knew he was very certain in his vision. He tends to do period pieces, and I’ve seen him execute it in the past and execute it well, and on this set, because it is about an adult film in the ’70s — even the equipment we were using was all authentically from the ’70s. We were speaking to people who were in the film industry from the ’70s one-on-one, and they were teaching us how to use certain things. There was a certain hands-on nature about it all. Knowing that down to even the props that we were using and the locations we were shooting in were accurate to the time really proved to us how much thought and care had gone into this project.
Obviously you’re in close quarters a lot with your fellow X cast members. Did you guys develop a camaraderie?
Ortega: Honestly, they are some of the coolest people I’ve ever worked with. I’d looked up to some of them for a while, and all of them are so talented, it’s almost frightening going to work every day. But it was also so exciting because you never know what you’re going to learn. Just witnessing them working was such an honor. But it was a super calm environment [on set], especially shooting the kinds of scenes we were shooting. I think that there’s a required level of safety and trust and respect, and that was definitely present, and I think that it provided a closeness that you don’t always have with all of your casts. The environment was incredibly professional but also very encouraging. We were supportive of one another, and that’s always a nice feeling.
Was there a scene or sequence that was particularly daunting for you?
Ortega: Not necessarily. I’m pretty comfortable with the horror stuff, and even the other subject matter I wasn’t nearly as exposed as my fellow actors, and we had an incredible coordinator and there weren’t a lot of people on set. It was just treated like work, which was really cool. Maybe I was nervous because I had never done anything like that before. But it was surprisingly easy.
Are you able to leave these terrifying or emotionally heavy roles behind when you leave the set? How do you decompress?
Ortega: I think it depends. I think on certain horror jobs, because the environment is so outlandish — you would hope some guy in a teenager’s Halloween costume isn’t stalking your family and trying to kill you multiple times — it doesn’t feel very natural or real, so things like that, it’s very easy to just leave it at work. But if you are doing something a bit more grounded or more realistic or even something that you relate to, I think that it’s harder to decompress from those. You don’t realize that it’s sitting with you as much as it is. Like, after a couple of weeks you realize, “Man, for some reason I’m really down and I don’t know why” — probably it’s the environment you’ve been putting yourself into every day. But for the most part I’m able to detach myself from work.
(Photo by A24)
It must be easier when, like you said, the threat is external, like some guy in a mask, as opposed to something that’s more internal.
Ortega: Well, the worst thing about The Fallout is that it’s work — you wrap, you go home, you do whatever, you go to bed. But that’s not the case for people like my character. What she’s gone through is not something that you can just sleep off or take a break from over the weekend. I think that’s the worst part. That project in particular, I don’t think that will ever leave me. I still think about it consistently. So I can’t even imagine what actual survivors must feel.
Between X and Scream and the upcoming Wednesday series, it is safe to say you have a dark side?
Ortega: Yeah, I think I’ve always kind of been internally drawn to that stuff, so it’s nice that my work is able to reflect that. I would also love the opportunity to be the villain. I think there’s a fun nuance that can come into play. I think I can bring some level of groundedness to something like that. But yeah, in terms of dark stuff, I think that even my humor tends to be a little bit more dark. I’m doing Wednesday and I’ve been compared to Wednesday all my life in terms of my sarcasm and dry humor, so it’s oddly fitting.
X premiered at South by Southwest on March 13, 2022 and opens in theaters on March 18, 2022.
There’s something so exciting about the arrival of a new voice on the movie scene. Sure, we love to see the veterans and masters do their thing, but it’s that adrenaline rush that comes with discovery and potential that really drives a lot of film lovers. When we see an amazing debut, we not only appreciate it on its own, but we can imagine all the great movies to come from people like Jordan Peele, Greta Gerwig, Ryan Coogler, and Ari Aster. It’s a glimpse of the future.
This list of some of the greatest directorial debuts of the 2010s offers a vision of the future of filmmaking that’s diverse, ambitious, daring, and brilliant. We chose the directors based on Tomatometer scores, the impact of their work (awards, box office, general adulation), and, in many cases, the work they would go on to make after their debut or the projects they have teed up. Names like Barry Jenkins and Damien Chazelle may seem like omissions, but they actually had films released pre-2010; other names, like this year’s Phillip Youmans, who made his Certified Fresh debut while still in high school, arguably deserved a place, but we kept to a strict 30 slots. It could have been a much, much longer list.
Without further ado or caveat, here are 30 incredible directing debuts from the last decade. We may be looking back, but it’s because we’re so excited about what’s ahead.
When he was barely more than a teenager, Derek Cianfrance wrote and directed a small project called Brother Tied that didn’t get a theatrical release, so most consider this 2010 drama his debut. And what a debut! It helps to have two of the best actors of their generation delivering at the top of their game, which is what Cianfrance got from Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as a couple whom we watch disintegrate in front of our eyes. Both were nominated for Golden Globes and Cianfrance would go on to work with Gosling again in 2012’s Certified Fresh The Place Beyond the Pines.
Given how much she would go on to accomplish with acclaimed works like Selma, 13th, and When They See Us – not to mention as a producer and mentor – it’s almost hard to believe that Ava DuVernay’s directorial debut came just this decade. The former publicist turned heads with this independent drama about a woman (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) forced to take care of a sick aunt (Beverly Todd). Shot in only 11 days on a shoestring budget, it’s easy to see the talent that would turn DuVernay into a household name over the next 10 years.
Long before her Oscar-nominated Mudbound, Dee Rees wrote and directed this 2011 Sundance gem, a film about a young woman dealing with her emerging homosexuality. Adepero Oduye stars as Alike, a 17-year-old who becomes more comfortable with her lesbian identity, even as she faces pushback from her family and community. It’s a tender, honest film that only makes one wish that Rees would work more often – it was six years between Sundance premieres for the filmmaker.
Sometimes a great new director is announced with a small, intimate cast – sometimes it’s with a ridiculous ensemble that includes more than one Oscar winner. J.C. Chandor was blessed enough to find himself directing Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, and more in this riveting look at the beginning of the financial crisis that was still fresh in investors’ minds when the film was released in 2011. Chandor used this well-received film as a launchpad and directed three other Fresh films before the decade was over – All is Lost, A Most Violent Year, and Triple Frontier.
(Photo by Fox Searchlight./Courtesy Everett Collection)
Most Sundance veterans will tell you that they remember specific world premieres, one of them being the 2012 launch of Beasts of the Southern Wild, a heartfelt, poetic look at childhood that would go on to land Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. (It would also gift us with an incredible on-camera talent in Quvenzhané Wallis.) There’s something transcendent about this film, which announced a major new talent who took way too long to make a follow-up. The good news is that Zeitlin finally has finally done that: Wendy will also have its world premiere at Sundance in January 2020, and it will likely be the hottest ticket of the festival.
Fans of Drew Goddard’s writing on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lostweren’t too shocked to discover he could also write and direct a kick-ass movie too, but even they were a little blown away by this modern horror classic. Subverting the tropes of most scary stories about beautiful people in remote cabins, Goddard’s directorial debut was a much-needed jolt of genre adrenaline at a time when audiences weren’t really taking horror movies all that seriously. He would go on to write The Martian and write and direct another subversive puzzle film, 2018’s Bad Times at the El Royale.
Before she gave the world Hustlers, Lorene Scafaria wrote and directed this quirky comedy starring Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in what’s basically a pre-apocalyptic buddy movie. When it’s announced that an asteroid is going to hit the planet, Carell’s sad sack goes on a road trip with his neighbor to find the true love of his life before it’s too late. Scafaria proved adept at directing performers, a skill further deployed in 2015’s The Meddler and 2019’s Hustlers, which is starting to rack up awards this season.
After producing films in Indonesia in the 2000s, Joshua Oppenheimer decided to make his first feature documentary about the open wound in that country, namely the mass genocide that took place from 1965 to 1966, the perpetrators of which were never brought to justice. His masterstroke is in allowing the violent war criminals to reenact their own crimes, using the power of the camera against them. The final scenes, in which one of the leaders of the death squad finally comes to terms with his own sinful past, are unforgettable. Don’t miss the companion film, The Look of Silence.
Few directors have made as much of an impact in a relatively small amount of time as Ryan Coogler, who has directed three films and has yet to notch a Tomatometer score under 94%. Everyone on Earth knows about Creed and Black Panther, but his debut was back in 2013 with Fruitvale Station, the true story of the tragic murder of Oscar Grant, a young man killed by a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officer in 2009. It was also the first major film role for Michael B. Jordan, who would go on to star in all of Coogler’s films. Their relationship seems likely to produce quality through the next decade and beyond.
The life of Argentinian filmmaker Andres Muschietti changed forever when Guillermo del Toro saw a three-minute short he made with his sister called Mama — he would go on to develop it into a feature under the eye of del Toro. Jessica Chastain gives a fearless performance as a woman trying to deal with two children found in the woods, protected by a supernatural entity known only as Mama. Muschietti proved he had enough of a gift with atmosphere here that WB tapped him to direct two of the biggest horror movies of the decade in the It flicks. And it all started with the right person seeing just a few minutes of film.
Australian writer-director Jennifer Kent shook Park City and then the rest of the world in 2014, when she dropped her fable of parental grief and fear in the amazing The Babadook. Adapting her own short film, Monster, Kent directed Essie Davis in the story of a single mother trying to deal with the sudden loss of her husband while raising a troublesome child. Oh, and there’s a horrible creature in the basement too. (Or is there?) The wave of highbrow horror that ended the 2010s likely doesn’t crest as high without The Babadook, a masterpiece of tension that weaves relatable emotions into a ghost story and felt like an instant classic the first time we saw it. Kent followed it with this year’s Certified Fresh The Nightingale.
Don’t take just our word for it: Sundance named Justin Simien a “Breakthrough Talent” by giving him a special award after the world premiere of his brilliant 2014 dramedy about life on a black campus in the 2010s. Tessa Thompson plays Samantha White, a student at Winchester University, a mostly white school. Simien uses White to branch off and introduce us to a fascinating ensemble of players, instantly becoming one of the most interesting young voices in cinema on modern issues of race and class. He adapted the film into an acclaimed Netflix series – all three seasons are Certified Fresh – and has finally directed a follow-up that will premiere at Sundance 2020, Bad Hair.
What do most of these breakthrough debuts have in common? They announce distinct new voices. No one else on Earth could have made A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, a black-and-white “Iranian Vampire Spaghetti Western.” It’s not like we get one of those movies every weekend at the multiplex. The minute Ana Lily Amirpour landed on the scene, we knew that her voice was going to be her own, something proven further by The Bad Batch, her even crazier follow-up. Love or hate her films, they aren’t like anything else.
It’s actually less common than you think for successful screenwriters to segue smoothly into the director’s chair, as the two roles sometimes take different skill sets. It turns out that it wasn’t a problem for Dan Gilroy, who may be an even better director than he was a writer, as proven by this 2014 award-winner that stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an L.A.-based man who gets hooked on getting raw and often bloody footage for local news. Gilroy directed Gyllenhaal to one of the best performances of his career in a film that feels just as timely now as it did five years ago.
Alex Garland wasn’t your typical newcomer when he dropped his 2014 directorial debut. After all, he had been a regular collaborator with Danny Boyle as the writer on 28 Days Later… and Sunshine, and even dabbled in video game writing. And yet Ex Machina still felt like an introduction to a major new talent. The story of a man who develops a doomed relationship with a daring new form of A.I. was so well-received that Garland landed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. And there are people who will tell you that his follow-up, 2018’s Certified Fresh Annihilation, was even better.
Hungarian director László Nemes proved that there are still stories to tell about the Holocaust with this terrifying vision of life in Auschwitz near the end of World War II. Géza Röhrig plays Saul, a man deeply numbed by the horror of what he’s had to do as a Sonderkommando, the Jewish prisoners who were forced to assist the SS. When he becomes determined to give a murdered child a proper burial, Son of Saul becomes a story of purpose in a place designed to crush the human spirit. With impeccable sound design and a visual style that puts viewers in Saul’s shoes, this was a debut admired around the world, all the way to an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Marielle Heller has been so successful this decade that it’s hard to believe that her debut was only four years ago. Since then she’s directed two films with Tomatometer scores above 95% in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. She’s clearly one of the most interesting directors working today, and it all started with this adaptation of the Phoebe Gloeckner novel, starring Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, and Kristen Wiig. Heller has had a gift with character from the beginning, presenting people who feel three-dimensional without ever sinking to melodrama.
Chloé Zhao earned raves and awards nominations for her Certified Fresh 2017 drama The Rider, but that film wouldn’t have happened were it not for her debut two years earlier with 2015’s Songs My Brothers Taught Me. Developed through the Sundance Institute, Zhao’s film takes place in a setting we don’t often see even in independent cinema: an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. It’s the veracity of Zhao’s filmmaking that really put her on the map and made her one of the most interesting directors of the 2010s. Her debut was so well-received that it was selected for the Directors Fortnight at Cannes. Oh, and she caught the eye of Marvel, too.
With only two films under his belt, Robert Eggers has already developed his own distinct voice, playing with sound design and American history in The Witch and The Lighthouse. When the former premiered at Sundance, it had unsuspecting viewers literally crying in their seats with its suffocating use of atmosphere and dread. Eggers helped usher in what many consider a new golden age of horror, and he did so with a period piece that uses almost entirely natural lighting and slow builds without jump scares. Audiences were polarized, but critics fell in love with Eggers instantly.
The holidays bring out the best and worst in us. Few modern films capture this with as much harrowing truth as Trey Edward Shults’ 2015 debut, a drama that could just as easily be classified as a horror film. Shults cast his real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild in the title role, a woman who comes home on Thanksgiving to reconnect with a family that really doesn’t want her there. As animosities bubble to the surface and turkeys crash to the floor, it becomes clearer that you’re watching a major new talent, one who would go on to direct two more Certified Fresh films before the end of the decade in It Comes at Night and Waves.
A young vegetarian develops a taste for human flesh in one of the most striking horror movie debuts in a generation. Garance Marillier plays Justine, a new student who stumbles into a hazing ritual in which she’s forced to eat raw meat, and things go very downhill from there. Moving from rabbit to chicken to her sister’s finger, Justine enters a downward spiral of body horror that owes a debt to genre masters like David Cronenberg or George A. Romero but signals the arrival of a unique talent at the same time. We’re just hungry for another movie.
Arguably the most critically acclaimed directorial debut of the entire decade, Jordan Peele’s Get Out was an earthquake in the movie scene, shaking up the industry in ways we haven’t seen in years. Have you wondered why horror movies are everywhere to end the decade – including in the form of Peele’s Certified Fresh follow-up, Us? One of the main reasons is that this half of Key & Peele won an Oscar for writing and directing arguably the best one in a generation, a movie that distills modern issues of race into a narrative that Rod Serling would have adored.
An unusual character study that’s also kind of about architecture isn’t an easy sell for audiences, but Kogonada’s Columbus has been building a loyal fanbase since the day it premiered at Sundance. John Cho does career-best work as a man named Jin who comes to Columbus, Indiana after his estranged father falls ill there. Unable to leave until his father recovers, he’s stuck in a small town that isn’t even home, drawn to a young woman named Casey, the wonderful Haley Lu Richardson. How we move through this world and how we sometimes get stuck in strange places are themes of Kogonada’s masterfully nuanced debut.
Actress Greta Gerwig technically co-directed Nights and Weekends with regular collaborator Joe Swanberg, but this Oscar-nominated film was her solo directorial debut, and it was one of the most impactful of the decade. Saoirse Ronan stars as the title character, a Sacramento-based teenager trying to figure out what’s next in her life. Gerwig displayed a remarkable gift with performance and character right out of the gate and has already proven that she’s no one-hit wonder in that regard with her Certified Fresh adaptation of Little Women.
The movement of high-quality horror arguably reached its apex with 2018’s Hereditary, the directorial debut of Ari Aster, a filmmaker who distilled influences like Roman Polanski and John Carpenter into something that felt new and terrifying. Toni Collette does some of the best work of her notable career as Annie Graham, a woman dealing with grief before being blindsided by unimaginable tragedy. There are a lot of horror directors who are good with tension and atmosphere, but Aster balances that half of his skill set by being a deft director of performance too, drawing daring work from Collette, and then again from Florence Pugh in his acclaimed follow-up Midsommar.
The genius behind the legendary rap group The Coup used the same subversive energy he brought to that project when he made his first feature film, a stunning satire that feels like the love child of Terry Gilliam and George Clinton. Lakeith Stanfield stars as a young man who climbs the corporate ladder of a telemarketing company to discover the poisonous culture that lives on top. The plot is smart, but what makes this such a stunning debut is the style and ambition Riley brought to it. It’s the kind of project that makes one instantly curious about what the filmmaker does next.
Some actors segue to the director’s chair with more grace than others. Bradley Cooper not only took to that chair with ease, but he did so in a film he also co-wrote, produced, and starred and sang his heart out in. Remaking the classic William Wellman film for another generation, Cooper knew exactly how to make this classic story connect with modern audiences, stepping out of the spotlight so Lady Gaga could dominate it in the way only she can. The big moments in A Star is Born are already iconic, but what makes this so promising is the way Cooper directs the small, character-driven scenes too. It feels like he could do literally any kind of film he wants for his follow-up.
Brought to life through the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs with the help of backing from Kickstarter, Nia DaCosta’s debut was so well-received that Jordan Peele tapped her to direct his anticipated remake of Candyman. What did he see in this debut? A balance of character work with greater themes about the state of large sections of a country that has been devastated by the drug trade. Tessa Thompson stars as a former drug runner in North Dakota who is forced into one final job across the Canadian border.
Breakthrough filmmaker Mati Diop clearly learned a thing or two about filmmaking by working with the legendary Claire Denis, but what elevates Atlantics beyond its dreamy visuals is the sense that this is a deeply personal story for the French-Senegalese actress/director. The story of an oceanside community in Senegal, and the class and gender issues that seem to control it, led Diop to become the first black female director ever to appear in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, where her film won the Grand Prix.
It’s hard to make a memorable directorial debut with a teen comedy. Most of them are pretty disposable, and they don’t often allow for a director to really show their skills. That’s one of the reasons that Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart felt like such a splash of cold water this year – it’s fresh, new, daring, and wonderfully directed. Not only does Wilde fully embrace the flaws of her teenage characters, she proves that she knows how to use music, editing, and composition to turn what could have been an average comedy into something extraordinary.
In the 1970s and 1980s, a horror renaissance rocked the film industry, riding on the wave of George Romero’s 1969 low-budget zombie breakout Night of the Living Dead. There was a general feeling that something special was happening, where even directors as esteemed as Stanley Kubrick, Nicolas Roeg, and Peter Medak were flocking to the genre, while others more dedicated to horror, like Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven were pushing the goal posts for scares. Even though the enthusiasm for innovative horror waned somewhat in the past couple of decades, with notable exceptions from the likes of Craven and newcomers like James Wan, the special feeling of a “movement” in horror seems to have finally returned, and with it a new class of the Masters of Horror who will lead us through the dark.
Whittling this list to 21 was a near-impossible task when you’ve got so many visionary filmmakers working in the genre, including queen Karyn Kusama (The Invitation), the Soska sisters (Rabid), Julia Ducournau (Raw), Coralie Fargeat (Revenge), Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Amer), Chelsea Stardust (Satanic Panic), Ana Asensio (Most Beautiful Island), Nia DaCosta (the upcoming Candyman), Na Hong-jin (The Wailing), Ti West (The Innkeepers), Jorge Michel Grau (We Are What We Are), Jennifer Wexler (The Ranger), Joko Anwar (Satan’s Slaves), Mattie Do (Dearest Sister), Gigi Guerrero (Culture Shock), Xander Robin (Are We Not Cats), and Demian Rugna (Terrified). (That’s not to mention producers like Jason Blum, dedicating their professional lives to scaring us stupid; but we’re limiting this roll call to directors, though some of those produce, as you’ll see. )
The list goes on and on, but here’s 21 that have made our blood pump and eyes pop recently, and are pushing the genre forward with every new work they make.
Ari Aster, much like George Romero, did not see himself as a horror director before his breakout debut. Hereditary, starring Toni Collette in an awards-worthy performance, is a family drama that plays out like one long exhilarating gasp for breath. Aster’s follow-up, Midsommar digs around in the same psychological playground, though this time covering the dissolution of a romantic relationship. Both films recategorize the meaning of “scare,” as Aster mines the terror of simply being uncomfortable with other people to a nearly wacky psycho-comedy effect.
What else is there to say about Jordan Peele? He single-handedly proved that black people want to see themselves in horror films and that other people all over the world would like to see it too. His films stray so far from what many would deem commercially acceptable — a lengthy monologue about inequality delivered amongst a bunch of rabbits in a kind of magical basement world? And yet his stories are compelling because they’re unlike anything else in theaters, their cinematic influences evident but not overbearing. Peele’s making horror weird again, and he’s making it matter.
When Jennifer Kent’s debut horror The Babadook shocked audiences, the potential for horror to mine desperate grief came into 20/20 view. Not only that, but distinctly down-and-dirty, terrible, feminine grief. It’s not unusual for horror films to star women — this has been a defining characteristic of the genre — but it was unusual to see a heroine slowly morph into a highly relatable villain in such a visceral manner. In her newest film The Nightingale, Kent continues to push her heroines past a point of likeability with an eye on doing away with the “strong woman” trope that has rendered so many female characters into caricatures of femininity.
Mike Flanagan has toiled in the genre fields for almost two decades, writing, directing, and editing his own films, which included Ghosts of Hamilton Street, Absentia, Oculus, and Hush, before he got his name-making box office hit, Ouija: Origin of Evil. Flanagan has a rare ability to please mainstream audiences while still pushing boundaries of horror, as he did with the wildly popular Haunting of Hill House Netflix series, which, among other cool tricks, hid a number of ghosts in the frame. That kind of subtle innovation comes from a filmmaker who’s familiar with all tools at their disposal, and his adaptation of a sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep, is much anticipated for that reason.
Issa Lopez
Mexican director Issa Lopez made a name for herself in her native country by directing a series of comic films, but her debut horror film Tigers Are Not Afraid (trailer above) couldn’t have been a bigger departure from her earlier career. Filled with wonder and grit and meaningful insights into childhood, trauma, and the human soul in the harshest environment imaginable, the film has been racking up fans and awards long before its U.S. release on Shudder. Guillermo del Toro luckily saw the film and immediately signed up to produce her next movies, so this Master in the making is already well on her way.
Speaking of Guillermo del Toro, it’s difficult to overstate how much of a boon for horror this visionary director has been, but del Toro was pioneering new directions for horror years before it came back in fashion. From Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone all the way up to Pan’s Labyrinth and the slept-on Crimson Peak, del Toro’s body of work feels so ingrained in the culture that it’s almost easy to take him for granted. Not to mention that he’s spent a great deal of time championing the newer generation of horror directors like Issa Lopez, Scott Cooper, and André Øvredal, producing double the number of films he directs himself. He is, for all intents and purposes, the godfather of the new Masters of Horror.
This pair of collaborators burst on the scene with last year’s Netflix horror hit, Cam(pictured above), about a cam girl sex worker whose identity is stolen and used against her. In a novel twist, the film was also respectful of women, Johns, and sex workers, never resorting to staid clichés, signaling that the pair could inclusively expand the frontiers of horror. Announcements for their next project with Blumhouse have been thin, but the film is certainly driven by women, and they’ll also be wading into TV horror with a segment for Quibi’s new 50 States of Fear.
Martyrs (pictured above) is not what many would call an easy film to watch. But Pascal Laugier’s most notorious feature is quite masterful. A story that opens like a revenge flick but closes with a hammer-to-the-nose of philosophical insights into perceived womanhood and spirituality, Martyrs follows in the New French Extremity footsteps of Claire Denis’ Trouble Every Day. After Martyrs, Laugier tried his hand at American horror with Jessica Biel starrer The Tall Man, but returned to his roots in 2018’s Incident in a Ghostland. Laugier shows that gore with a brain is on the menu for horror fans.
In 2013, Argentine director Andy Muschietti had an international hit on his hands with Mamá, about a young couple who take in their two young nieces but find that a malicious supernatural entity has decided they’re her next victims of a haunting. The film starred Jessica Chastain, setting up Muschietti’s desire to make genre but with actors of high esteem attached, which led to his re-envisioning Stephen King’s It in a two-movie release, vaunted for its playful but serious take on the story. Next up, Muschietti’s going the monster route with an adaptation of Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan, and is rumored to be directing DC’s The Flash.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is not a newcomer by any means. He’s been working steadily in genre and outside of it since the 1980s, as a critic, commercial artist, and a creative filmmaker. In 2001, he released his most well-known cult film Pulse, but his recent return to genre suggests he’s not quite finished being a Master. In 2016, he released Creepy, a thrilling hardboiled mystery, which he then followed up with Before We Vanish, which is an alien invasion story equal parts horror and humor that opens with a risky, bloody bang.
The Eyes of My Mother(pictured above), Nicolas Pesce’s debut feature, bucks so many contemporary trends of horror, shot in black and white like a high-art film but with the creeping childishness of Tobe Hooper. He followed that up with a Cronenberg Crash-style film called Piercing that turns a sex-torture story into a screwball comedy of errors and power dynamics. Pesce’s films explore loneliness and connection with wry humor, and yet somehow it’s his visual style, evocative of classic films filled with texture and tactile pleasantness like every object has meaning and purpose, that make him a new Master.
Anna Biller’s version of horror feels akin to classic fairy tales. They are rife with artifice yet also completely honest. Focused on sex and sexuality but coy and childlike. There is the sense that the director is telling the story of the world as it is while simultaneously wishing the world to be different. Viva is more an off-kilter soapy drama, while her film The Love Witch (pictured above) more fully embodies horror. Rumor has it she’s been shopping another horror story based on the Bluebeard tale, but be patient for her next one: Biller’s obsessive about costuming, locations, and production design, and makes most everything herself, which is a time-consuming act but is ultimately the key to her success as a modern Master.
Half the fun of Agnieszka Smoczyńska’s debut feature The Lure (pictured above) is describing it for those who don’t know: a gritty, glittery Polish mermaid horror disco musical. The film was a time capsule of Cold War-era dancing clubs, mixed with classic fairy tales and contemporary rage-filled feminism. Music that’s as catchy as it is dark and an almost surreal, theatrical production design set The Lure apart, earning it an almost instant Criterion release. Her follow-up, Fugue, looks inward for a more cerebral melodrama of psychological terror, with the kind of innovative camera work and sensitivity that display Smoczynska’s ability to play with mind as well as body in her horror.
Peter Strickland digested decades of Italian gore and giallo films, then washed it down the exploitation work of Jess Franco and spit out such atmospheric insta-classics as Berberian Sound Studio and The Duke of Burgundy. His newest film In Fabric (poster above) had so much hype and magic behind it that A24 quickly snapped it up out of the festivals. Both eerie and ethereal, In Fabric tells the story of a murderous red dress; like a chilling version of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, this thing will fit everyone but also kill them. And like his predecessors, Strickland squeezes every inch of terror out of sound design and trippy, mirrored effects, perfectly marrying the past with the present.
Ana Lily Amirpour’s low-budget indie hit A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (pictured above) thrilled for its simple but fully realized black-and-white graphic novel aesthetics. It’s not every filmmaker whose first film creates some of the most memorable iconography in recent horror film history, but Amirpour’s vision of a young woman gliding on a skateboard with her veil flowing behind her struck a chord for women, a seeming statement about feminine violence and traditional values butting up against Western ideals. Her follow-up The Bad Batch was a sunny apocalyptic trip through the desert, but in the meantime she directed a beloved episode of the new Twilight Zone and has been attached to the remake of Cliffhanger.
Babak Anvari’s Under the Shadow (pictured above) broke new ground in folk horror and is a rare Certified Fresh at 99%. In it, he exploited the tale of jinn, those malevolent spirits of Islamic mythology, but grounded the story in the very real cultural conflict of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, as told through a belabored mother who’d much rather finish her medical degree than stay at home with the young daughter who acts almost like an anchor to a more traditional life. Vivid and tense, the film found an international audience, leading to his newest release, an American production called Wounds and a new television series titled North American Lake Monsters, where Anvari can further dig into local lore.
David F. Sandberg’s short “Lights Out” terrified audiences internationally with a simple light trick that harkened back to the early days of horror. That short, made for nothing and starring his charismatic wife Lotta Losten, was then developed into a feature starring Teresa Palmer. James Wan continued to help Sandberg develop his career, giving him a spot in The Conjuring franchise, directing Annabelle: Creation. Sandberg has temporarily waded into superheroes with the lighthearted Shazam!, but he’s stated he’s looking forward to coming back to horror real soon, hopefully utilizing the same creative low-budget ideas that gave him his big break.
Speaking of James Wan, no Masters of Horror list would be complete without the Aussie who harnessed the powers of surprise and low budgets to flip the entire industry on its head with the Saw and Insidious franchises, and then again with The Conjuring. He’s the pop filmmaker of our time, delivering the kind of popcorn fare that actually brings people to the theater, a rare feat. Like his Mexican counterpart Guillermo del Toro, Wan is also producing others’ work at a breakneck pace, passing the torch to his longtime collaborator Leigh Whannell, and Patrick Brice, Akela Cooper, and Michael Chaves.
Starry Eyes wasn’t Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer’s first feature, but it was the one that got them long applause at SXSW and a whole lot of horror cred with its black comic take on the entertainment industry, imagining the casting couch as a place to reap souls for Satan. Alex Essoe’s performance as a desperate starlet was one for the history books. At times gruesome and wacky, the film got them the gig remaking Pet Sematary and working on the Scream TV series.
Robert Eggers may be known for The VVitch, but he might also be known for his obsessively detailed nature, which had him mastering settler’s English for the script and getting the period details correct down to the tiniest nib, likely from his time as a production and costume designer in theater and film. Like Kubrick before him, Eggers is intent on crafting worlds, and his newest film The Lighthouse(pictured above), though more horror-adjacent than his debut, is just as meticulous, digging again into hysteria and how isolation and harsh environments can unravel the mind.
Sophia Takal’s trajectory into horror began with low-budget psychological romps through feminine hysteria, in both Green and then her more defined follow-up Always Shine(pictured above), which pitted two young actresses against one another in a remote Big Sur cabin. Her episode of Into the Dark marked an entry into the world of slashers, marrying the cerebral with the bloody physical, and her next film, a remake of the very first slasher, Black Christmas [disclosure: the author of this article is the co-writer of this film], will test that marriage and the viability of slashers in general in this day and age.
Don’t see our favorite horror filmmaker above? Let us know whose scares you’re loving right now in the comments.
With season 1 of Netflix’s newest horror offering Chilling Adventures of Sabrina burning up the Tomatometer — currently 96% on 27 reviews — we thought we’d make a list to see how she measures up against the best horror TV of all time. Our ranking includes the Friday release’s Netflix brethren The Haunting of Hill House, which is Certified Fresh at 92% (with 63 reviews of season 1) and lands at No. 9 on our list of 100 binge-worthy horror shows.
But choosing the best ever horror TV show can make your eyes twitch and head spin until you take a chainsaw to your computer — debating whether Lucifer belongs in the horror genre or is more of a crime procedural finally put us over the edge.
For one, horror bleeds into so many other genres; it sometimes dabbles in star-crossed romance like in HBO’s True Blood and conjures the dark humor of Starz’s Ash vs. Evil Dead. It even takes a stab at social commentary through the FX anthology American Horror Story. And, for a genre that so often portrays death and carnage, it has an amazing ability to endure – even if shows like CBS classic The Twilight Zone don’t make today’s audiences kick over their TV-dinner trays as much as it did their parents and grandparents. Horror even brings cultures together, as evidenced by Netflix’s popular German sci-fi thriller Dark, Indian series Ghoul, and director Lars von Trier’s Danish mini-series Riget (The Kingdom). These and many more shows are on this list.
You may wonder why we slashed others: The blue-eyed Night King and his ilk are certainly terrifying on HBO’s Game of Thrones, but with those dragons and Red priestesses, “best horror TV show”? Not exactly. GoT falls more into the fantasy category. The Magicians, Dead Like Me, and Lost Girl met the same fate. Similarly, Black Mirror falls under sci-fi; in fact, it turns up as No. 9 on our list of the “100 Best Sci-Fi TV Shows of All Time.” True-crime documentaries and dramas — like Netflix’s Making a Murderer or its serial killer drama Mindhunter — are left off this list even if the acts depicted there are more terrifying than anything we might see on AMC’s zombie series The Walking Dead (which, of course, is included).
To rank the scary TV shows in this monster list, we took the critics’ Tomatometer score (where available) into consideration, plus the rankings of a number of reputable “best of” lists, and then applied some editorial discretion, asking ourselves which horror TV series have stood the test of time, inspired spin-offs and copycats, and even made their influence known on the big screen. We also had a look at your own audience scores on each of the series.
Read on to find out if Lucifer made the cut.
Disagree about our exclusion of The Magicians? Or did we miss another title you think should be included? Rip us apart in the comments section.
Synopsis: An American family's Australian vacation takes a tragic turn when sadistic serial killer Mick Taylor targets the tourists. College student [More]
Critics Consensus:Outlander is a unique, satisfying adaptation of its source material, brought to life by lush scenery and potent chemistry between its leads.
Synopsis: Created and co-executive produced by Robert Kirkman ("The Walking Dead"), the drama series "Outcast" stars Patrick Fugit ("Gone Girl") as [More]
Synopsis: Award-winning actor and director Forest Whitaker hosts this version, which features two self-contained stories per episode. Each story stars well-known [More]
Synopsis: Inspired, says creator Charlie Brooker, by the classic horror film "Dawn of the Dead," this five-episode series chronicles a nightmare [More]
Critics Consensus: Director Tobe Hooper and a devilishly charismatic James Mason elevate this television adaptation of the Stephen King novel, injecting the vampiric tradition with fresh blood and lingering scares.
Synopsis: Based on the Stephen King novel, Ben Mears (David Soul) has returned to his hometown of Salem's Lot to write [More]
Synopsis: Hourlong horror films from famous directors are showcased in this anthology series, with works by Dario Argento, John Carpenter, Larry [More]
Synopsis: The psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of his works, [More]
Synopsis: Many people are familiar with classic literary characters like Dr. Frankenstein and Dorian Gray. "Penny Dreadful" brings those and other [More]
Those who saw John Krasinski‘s A Quiet Placeearlier this year surprised to hear that the director and his co-star and wife, Emily Blunt, recently told Rotten Tomatoes that Jawsis their favorite movie. Their new creature feature opens with a scene that shocks audiences in ways that echo the Spielberg film’s famous first scene, and even goes one step further, breaking one of the biggest rules of horror (and nope, we’re not saying which).
The scene was not in the original screenplay, say co-writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods; it was something Krasinski added himself in the rewrite phase. “I’ve got to give props to John for just being a crazy person,” says Beck. “I think he just really wanted, like, the opening of Jaws — let’s establish this monster right out the gate, and get really, really dark.” Woods adds: “You pull that on an audience and you instill this instinctual fear: These characters are fair game, so watch around every corner.”
Is it one of the scariest openings, ever, though? Time will tell — we need a few years and a lot of perspective to make those kinds of calls. For now, we at Rotten Tomatoes have voted on our favorite scary opening scenes up to now, and ranked them according to just how pinned-back-in-our seats we were the first time we saw them.
This is Quentin Tarantino’s favorite slasher flick and it’s not hard to see why: It’s gruesome as hell. It’s set in a mining town, and the slasher wears a mining get-up and uses mining tools, which means a lot of inventive swinging pickaxes and nail-gun use (so much so that the MPAA had the filmmakers slice out 9 minutes of gore from the original cut). The opening is basic, over in barely two minutes, and may have suffered a touch because of those cuts. But its simplicity and directness is kind of the point: This film isn’t wasting any time, and it didn’t come to play.
How did director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson choose to up the ante on awesome openings in this sequel, which is actually slightly higher on the Tomatometer than the original? They showed us that original opening again, this time as a movie-within-the-movie (Stab!), starring Heather Graham as Casey Becker, who had been played in the original by Drew Barrymore. Confused? So is Jada Pinkett Smith’s Maureen, the actual victim of this super-meta opening. She just came out to see a dumb scary movie, and has no idea why her boyfriend has just stabbed her and the audience is doing absolutely nothing about it. Seriously, worst movie theater audience ever.
Movie rule #96: When a flight steward says it’s going to be fine, you can bet that it really, really isn’t. This opening set the standard for the rest of the Final Destination franchise, and was believed at the time to be inspired by the explosion of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. Like the flight shown in the movie, that real-life 747 was on its way to Paris and carrying high school kids when it blew up shortly after takeoff.
It’s hard to pick the best of the Final Destination openings — replace plane with car with roller coaster and so on and they’re essentially the same — but the Rotten Tomatoes staff votes have the third installment, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, nudging out the others. This time we’re at an amusement park, and the latest set of unlucky teenagers is killed (or not) on a roller coaster. It’s brilliantly staged, zeroing in on virtually every “could it happen?” thought that runs through your mind when strapping into a fast-moving ride: Will the wheels come loose? What if my seat lock comes undone? The film’s Devil’s Flight roller coaster was actually a ride called the Corkscrew in Playland in Vancouver, which was made to look higher — and much deadlier — in post-production.
Nothing really happens in the opening few minutes of Tobe Hooper’s infamous low-budget 1974 horror flick, and yet rarely has a movie evoked so much dread so quickly. There’s that (rather long) text scroll, laying out the movie’s “maybe-based-on-a-true-story” credentials, and then those camera flashes, shocking us to life with grisly images of decomposing eyes and other bits and bobs. Finally, Hooper pans out to reveal a ghastly, barely-human sculpture sat upon a grave marker. Fun fact: The Narrator is none other than John Larroquette, who has said he was paid for his efforts with a marijuana joint.
While 28 Days Later opens in an empty London, its sequel begins in a packed house somewhere in the countryside. We’re quickly introduced to the occupants, a sweet-seeming family and a Walking Dead-style crew of likable survivors. And then all hell breaks loose. It’s not just that director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo throws everything at the scene — “name” actors bite it, Scream-style, and kids are in no way off limits — that makes it such a gut punch. It’s the way the filmmakers upend expectations, particularly when it comes to our “hero”, played by Robert Carlyle. With each choice he makes, he reveals himself to be anything but a Rick Grimes. And frankly, when the dust settles, we’re leaning #TeamZombie.
Did you know Victor Salva’s monster flick is based on a true story? Well, the opening scene, in which the Creeper gets into his truck to tail two kids who catch him dumping a victim, was inspired by one. In 1990, Ray and Marie Thornton were driving on a Michigan road when they spotted Dennis DePue dumping what looked like a body behind an abandoned schoolhouse (it turned out to be his wife). In their court testimony, the Thorntons said that DePue proceeded to follow them in his van for miles.
Scream and When A Stranger Calls may have horror-dom’s most famous problem callers, but Black Christmas’s pervy “moaner” is a close runner-up. The film’s opening sequence meanders a little, lurching from one cliché (stalker cam!) to another (hiding in the closet!), with detours into calls with mom and a bit of bathroom boozing. But when the sorority sisters circle around the phone to listen to the stalker — who goes from static-y groans to screechy vulgarities that we won’t repeat here — it’s as transfixing as it is disturbing.
Sometimes seeing the aftermath of a horrible act can be even more terrifying than witnessing the act itself. The opening sequence of The Stepfather is a case in point. With each shot we’re given an awful little breadcrumb clue to what has just happened in this bland-looking suburban home. There’s the blood on Terry O’Quinn’s face. An out-of-place toy boat. A dial tone. And then… We won’t give it away. Director Joseph Ruben would go on to make more chillers in this vein — including Sleeping with the Enemyand The Good Son — but none would come close to creating moments as chilling as The Stepfather’s (very) cold open.
A couple decides to go skinny dipping at night and it ends badly thanks to something bite-y in the water. Sound familiar? There is a lot that sounds and looks familiar about this Roger Corman-produced answer to Spielberg’s Jaws. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun in its own right — and memorable. A bunch of the Rotten Tomatoes staff saw this one when they were kids, and the opening scene left a mark.
What’s worse than an iceberg — right ahead? A wire, right onboard. In the best part of this pretty mediocre movie, almost an entire ship’s worth of passengers is wiped out in one fell swoop when a wire snaps and slices across a dance floor packed with revelers. It takes the well-dressed folk a few seconds to realize they’ve all been cut in halves and quarters and thirds (depending on height), and when they do, the makeup department goes to work. Side note: The little girl who survives (she was just short enough to escape) is Emily Browning.
Robert Eggers’ unnerving opening plays on every parent’s — or babysitter’s — greatest fear: A child that vanishes the second you look away. Here, a game of peak-a-boo takes a dark turn when Thomasin’s (Anya Taylor-Joy) baby brother disappears and is then seen in the clutches of a witch. Said witch is then doing something to the baby that we can’t quite make out until… wait, is that a knife?
How exactly did Danny Boyle film in a completely empty — and completely eerie — central London? He had some help from his then teenage daughter, it turns out. Boyle has explained that in lieu of traffic marshals and police, which he couldn’t afford, his daughter and her friends tried to hold back traffic during the seven early mornings over which they shot the sequence.
High school is terrifying, and rarely has it been as terrifying as in the opening sequence of Brian De Palma’s Carrie. The film is no conventional horror flick, and the scene is no conventional horror opening, but its mark is indelible: Just try to wipe the image of a screaming Sissy Spacek begging for help from your memory.
Online snarks have said that Dawn of the Dead’s opening seven minutes were the peak of director Zack Snyder’s career. Frankly, they’d be the peak of most directors’ careers as far as we’re concerned. In the absolutely brutal sequence, Sarah Polley’s Ana wakes to discover her neighbor’s daughter is a ravenous zombie (the fast-moving 28 Days Later kind) who isn’t making any sort of distinctions between family and food. Eyes out for the “Here’s Johnny!” nod and ears out for the excellent use of Johnny Cash’s “When the Man Comes Around” over the killer credit sequence. [Editor’s note: This story originally said that Ana woke to find her own daughter was a zombie — we have corrected, and regret, the error.]
It Follows opens with an almost two-minute tracking shot that coldly observes a young girl running for her life on an idyllic suburban street. We eventually join her as she gets in her car and later find her next alone on a beach. Cut to… well, just watch it. There are no big scares or jumps or monsters in these few minutes. The key horror here is mystery: Why is she running? What is she running from? And what the hell did that to her?
John Carpenter told Rotten Tomatoes recently that you have two options for opening a horror film: “You can slow things down, lull people into a false sense of security, and then smack them in the face with it,” or “kick it into gear straight away — let’s go!” For 1978’s Halloween, he went with the latter approach, opening with a stalker-cam single shot that took him and his crew some eight hours to execute. Carpenter says he was inspired by long tracking shots in films like Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil.
Director Tommy Lee Wallace’s 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s It doesn’t open with Georgie and Pennywise’s drain-side chat — it begins instead with the disappearance of a little girl and a memorably abandoned tricycle — but it does get to the scene eventually. When the moment does come, Wallace plays it TV safe: We see Tim Curry’s clown bearing his teeth and advancing on his victim before we cut to the next scene. Andy Muschietti takes the road less traveled in his treatment of the scene, which opens 2017’s It, showing Pennywise’s attack on poor Georgie in all of its gory glory. Yes, that’s a child getting his arm chomped off — and Muschietti isn’t letting us look away.
Wes Craven’s big comeback film kicked off a slasher revival and gave the horror genre one of its most famous lines (“What’s your favorite scary movie?”). Most of that was thanks to the opening scene, penned by horror fanatic Kevin Williamson, which plays out like a mashup of Jeopardy and the last half hour of Halloween. It was always going to be a nerve-shattering ten minutes; what made it more than that was the casting of Ghostface’s first big target, Casey Becker. Craven said he wanted to have the film’s biggest star die straight out the gate, and had considered offering the role to Alicia Silverstone. But when Drew Barrymore, who was set to take the lead role, said she wanted to do the opening scene, the plan changed and Craven had his “No they didn’t!” moment.
It took a lot of innovating to pull what is arguably cinema’s most famous opening together: Actress and stuntwoman Susan Blacklinie had hooks attached to her Levi’s so that drivers could pull her to and fro to get that jerked-by-a-Great-White effect; Spielberg employed a devastatingly effective predator’s-eye view to put us inside the hungry mind of the shark; and John Williams’ score did the rest of the work. The scene was a direct lift from the opening pages of Peter Benchley’s bestselling book. In those pages, the reader — like Spielberg’s camera — mostly inhabits the perspective of the beast (the opening line reads, “The great fish moves silently through the night.”). On page, the opening scene is as brutal and mysterious an attack as on screen. “At first, the woman thought she had snagged her leg on a rock or a piece of floating wood,” writes Benchley. “There was no initial pain, only one violent tug on her right leg. She reached down to touch her foot, treading water with her left leg to keep her head up, feeling in the blackness with her left hand.” Then comes the kicker: “She could not find her foot.”
Which scary opening scene is your favorite? Don’t see it on the list? Are you about to write us an angry letter asking how in Samara’s name we could leave out The Ring? Save the postage, and let us know what you think in the comments.
The Las Vegas Film Critics Society announced today the 2017 winners of the LVFCS awards on Twitter. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was the big winner with 5 awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Read through for the full list of winners.
William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award: Lois Smith
LVFCS Top 10 Films of 2017
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The Florida Project
Get Out
The Shape of Water
The Big Sick
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
Call Me By Your Name
Wind River
The Last Jedi
Halloween only comes once a year, but we celebrated every day this month with the October Daily Double: A recommendation every weekday of themed scary movie double feature!
Let’s start with a tribute with Tobe Hooper, who passed away in August and shaped the face of modern horror with
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Made on a $300,000 budget and shot documentary-style, Chainsaw would become among the
most profitable movies ever, as theaters – grindhouse, drive-ins, and mainstream alike – booked it to shock
audiences with Hooper’s detached imagery, chilling plausibility, pervasive tension, and
implied violence.
Meanwhile, “implied violence” and “plausible” are the last phrases you’d use to describe Pieces, a splatterfest
supposedly set in Boston but filmed entirely in Spain, directed by Juan Piquer Simon. Expect goofy dialogue, pig
guts with red herrings, and one very real chainsaw — the authenticity of terror on these actors’ faces as
they’re being menaced and massacred is up to your interpretation. And let’s not forget the ballsy shock ending!
The easiest way to watch this is on Blu-ray via Grindhouse Releasing; if you do, watch the American version – it’s faster-paced with a better soundtrack.
The Watcher in the Woods (1980, 43%) Lady in White (1988, 64%)
These two are good to watch with your kids, or simply if you want to watch some horror movies starring kids with legitimate scares, since the nation’s in an It kinda mood. Watcher in the Woods takes place on a rural forest estate whose new owners’ daughter begins receiving astral visions of a girl pleading, suspended somewhere in time. Watcher is an uncharacteristically dark movie from Walt Disney Productions, though this era would also produce the bleak Dragonslayer and grimy Black Cauldron.
Lady in White treads the same kind of ground. It’s a nostalgic movie set in 1960s upstate New York, about a long-deceased girl who returns as a ghost to haunt and impel a local boy to solve her death, along with other children’s murders at the school. The quaint, small town scenery and scenes of daily Italian-American home life give Lady a little flavor, and, like Watcher in the Woods, it’s entirely without gore, except for a scene of sudden violence which knocks it into PG-13 territory.
Prophecy (1979, 23%) It’s Alive (1973, 69%)
Prophecy is an eco-disaster mutant bear movie by John Frankenheimer, directed probably while he was drunk, and features the best sleeping bag kill in cinema history. Yes, even besting Friday the 13th: The New Blood‘s. Here’s my headcanon for this double feature: Prophecy ends with the pregnant wife, who ate fish from the contaminated lake, unsure if she’s about to give birth to a freak of nature. The answer lies in It’s Alive…
The Devil’s Backbone (2001, 92%) The Orphanage (2007, 87%)
After Mimic got stomped on at the 1997 box office, Guillermo del Toro looked to be the latest victim in Hollywood’s game of courting young international directors only to see their careers implode on our studio backlots. Del Toro returned to Spain and put together Devil’s Backbone, an exquisite classical ghost story set at an orphanage and about the young boy who unravels its grim past.
Years after Backbone, Del Toro was in position to foster new filmmaking talent, producing J.A. Bayona’s directorial debut: The Orphanage. Here, we shift to an adult point of view: a mother whose son goes missing just as she attempts to re-open the orphanage she grew up in, now ostensibly be occupied by spirits. A terrifying and tender picture.
Dawn of the Dead (1978, 93%) Chopping Mall (1986, 57%)
Closing the week with another tribute. George A. Romero, the godfather of modern horror who, like Tobe Hooper, passed away earlier this year. The towering Pittsburgh native released six Night of the Living Dead movies in as many decades, the best in the series (and one of the best horror movies ever) being Dawn. It moves like an action movie, has plenty of gore and head trauma, and features Romero’s most palatable social critique: That the zombies gravitate to a cherished place in death, in this case a tacky mall where our motley crew of survivors have holed up.
But if there’s one mall you want to get out of in horror, it’s the Park Plaza in Chopping Mall. Four couples break into the place after hours to test the goods at the mattress place and desecrate the food court, but after an electrical storm set the security robots to KILL, these store’s bargains start getting paid in blood. Sex, big hair, exploding heads, and teenagers who look like twentysomething actors from Burbank…get everything you expect from Chopping Mall!
Final Destination (2000, 34%) Sole Survivor (1983)
An airline passenger avoids a timely demise after their plane goes down; afterwards, the passenger’s friends begin dying all around, as though Death wants to claim what it’s owed. Know the plot? Not only is it the starting point for the Final Destination franchise, but also the premise to tonight’s other recommended flick, Sole Survivor. FD director James Wong was obviously inspired by Survivor (he originally planned it as an X-Files episode), though there’s a key difference between the two movies: while Destination features its victims getting caught up in mystical Rube Goldberg-esque scenarios of doom, Survivor actually has zombies walking around trying to take the heroine.
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970, 100%) Alice (1988, 100%)
If you were one of those kids watching Alice in Wonderland and thought “Sweet cakes, this is kinda creepy”, then Czechoslovakia has got you on that one: The former European country produced two unsettling films inspired by the Lewis Carrol tale decades apart. First is 1970’s Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, a fantastical parabale of puberty as creepy pale dudes and animals emerge from the woodwork to vaguely menace the title character. Then there’s 1988’s Alice, a dark, more direct adaptation featuring the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, along with stop-motion animation and a layer of dust and decay over each location.
Lifeforce (1985, 67%) Species (1995, 36%)
Another week, another Tobe Hooper movie! As it crystallized for Hooper that he’d never match Texas Chainsaw‘s impact and that 1982’s Poltergeist would be his commercial peak, the director made the most out of being alive in the ’80s and unleashed the outrageous Lifeforce, starring Mathilda May as Space Girl, aka naked comet-riding vampire come to turn the greater London population into zombies. Bizarre sci-fi/horror material with sublime special effects.
10 years later, Species took the same idea and downplayed the metaphysics and upped the titillation. It was the ’90s and Hollywood churned out R-rated mainstream sleaze on the regular, though rarely involving beautiful women spilling out of oozing cocoons or tongue-through-skull puncturings. A pleasant guilty filthy pleasure.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2011, 84%) The Cabin in the Woods (2012, 92%)
In this riotous send-up of the secluded cabin blueprint, Tucker and Dale (Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine) play two vacationing hillbillies when a group of annoying stock teenagers come upon them in the woods and promptly deduce the two are serial killers. Through their own incompetence, the teenagers start offing themselves in wacky, unpredictable manner, leaving T & D baffled at the bloody proceedings.
Cabin in the Woods brandishes the same basic premise, but with some huge sci-fi bookends that diminish and mock horror tropes. I’m personally not a fan of Cabin as it’s directed with obvious contempt for them undignified slashers, but critics and a majority of fans who discover the movie love it, and it pairs well with Evil.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984, 25%) Sleepaway Camp (1983, 84%)
The Final Chapter, the best in the Friday series, came at a crucial juncture in franchise history. Parts 2, 3D, and Final Chapter are set over a few days, with Jason starting as resilient bastard and the story slowly introducing the unstoppable zombie conceit we know now. Final pushes viewer suspension of disbelief to the bleeding edge (‘Did Jason really just come back to life at the morgue?!’) and helmer Joseph Zito (hot off the underground success of The Prowler) sagely throws in misdirections and obscures Jason’s figure for the first two acts to keep the audience in a state of confusion. And whereas in later sequels Jason is framed and fetishized as some kind of anti-hero (a mistake IMO), his strikes in Final Chapter are so fast and sudden, Jason’s like the shark in Deep Blue Sea and everyone else Samuel L. Jackson. A total rush, and that’s not even mentioning the nimble camerawork, photography (seriously, this movie looks good), and unusually memorable characters: Crispin Glover dancing can only be described as a Seinfeldian full body dry heave. Final opens with a recap of the first three films and has a conclusive ending, so if you watch only one Friday the 13th, this is it.
And if you watch only one more summer camp horror flick, make sure it’s Sleepaway Camp. The characters and kills are fairly derivative, but there’s a few cutaways to surreal, John Waters-esque suburban life to give the movie a unique taste. But I’m mostly recommending this for the ending — it’s the cutest little thing!
Event Horizon (1997, 24%) Sunshine (2007, 76%)
I initially watched Event Horizon as a double feature with Good Will Hunting…hey, you make do when the only rental option was a Blockbuster across from home. While Good Will‘s idea of adult R-rated scenarios put me and my brother to sleep, Event Horizon had us jumping from the sofa with its heavy guitar intro theme. We were fans of Doom like all good suburban kids, so Event‘s deep space descent through portals of Hell resonated. And the movie remains a propulsive ride — not too scary, but about as entertaining a movie featuring blood orgies and Dr. Alan Grant as you’re gonna get.
Next: Sunshine, big budget sci-fi from Danny Boyle, following a ship with a nuclear payload heading towards the galaxy’s center to reignite our dying sun. Like Event Horizon, Sunshine‘s a space sprawler that trades on isolation and madness, but it’s not a horror movie per se. It does, however, tweak the genre: Most villains in slashers (which this movie gradually turns into) operate in darkness and shadows; here, Boyle challenges himself to shoot the villain in full blinding light, drawing from a toolbox of dazzling visual tricks to mostly pull it off.
High Tension (2005, 40%) Martyrs (2008, 53%)
We recently put up a slightly mis-monikered video called “13 Horror Movies Too Rotten To Miss,” detailing Rotten films that have an Audience Score of at least 60%. One of those movies is High Tension, an extreme French film that was relatively rejected by critics for its unearned, implausible switcheroo in its final minutes. Up to that point, it’s a breakneck flick.
Tonight’s other film that fits this category that we didn’t feature in the video is Martyrs, another exemplar of the French wave of boundary-pushing horror from a decade ago. The performances here are fearless (France seems the best in nurturing these actresses), fully developing Martyrs‘ lucid, sickening themes. Every few years, we get a movie that becomes a horror litmus test to see what depths a viewer is willing to dive through with the genre. This was one of them.
The Witch (2016, 91%) It Comes At Night (2017, 89%)
Yesterday, we featured two Rotten horror movies that audiences loved. Today, vice versa: two Certified Fresh horror movies that audiences collectively gave a sub-60% score, and they both happened to be put out by fan-favorite distributor A24. The Witch, a bleak folktale set in authentically recreated 17th century New England, confounded mainstream viewers with the thick accents and lack of a strong ending. And It Comes At Night was marketed as a supernatural spooker when the terror is actually psychological. Both are strong films if you approach it on their terms, but in an age when it’s all about the consumer and their myriad platforms to voice displeasure, buyer booware!
Ravenous (1999, 45%) Raw (2017, 90%)
Cannibalism and female directors. Two great tastes that…I don’t know where I’m going with this. What I do know is you should check out Ravenous (directed by the late Antonia Bird) for a slice of biting, mordant horror. It stars Guy Pearce as a disgraced 19th century Army soldier banished to the High Sierras where he’s greeted by more soldiers with tales of a Wendigo nearby feeding on humans. Ravenous‘s setting was the last place I expected ’90s snark and attitude, but here we are — this is a movie as funny and as it is bloody.
Nearly two decades later comes Raw (written/directed by Julia Ducournau), an oppositional take on the cannibalism taboo. It’s set in contemporary Belgium and larded with symbolism, following a young vegan girl who begins craving human chops after a hazing ritual. Female coming-of-age stories are frequently attached to horror (where fear, sexuality, and ecstasy co-exist), but rarely ever this elegantly disgusting.
It Follows (2015, 97%) Only Lovers Left Alive (2014, 86%)
“Horror changes and gets reinvented each generation,” John Carpenter said recently to the L.A. Times, “It’s continually being modernized.”
The legend was right: just look at how horror was modernized as an extension of economic anxiety for two Detroit-set films. In It Follows, director David Robert Mitchell redefines the stalking horror camera as a literal invisible force, but can be read as the pervasive dread of a post-automobile society. The shuttered, dilapidated buildings loom over star Maika Monroe like Snow White running through the forest.
Only Lovers Left Alive, Jim Jarmusch’s sublime hipsters-as-vampires mood joint, puts Detroit on display as a microcosm that chugs along, fine with itself while giving the finger to everyone on the outside looking in. It’s a place of private worlds to kick out the jams, to hoard ancient tomes and analog equipment, to hide and literally vamp it up. Only Lovers is pure rock ‘n’ roll. And both that and It Follows use horror as a vehicle of social critique, and a mirror to expose our dark side.
Let the Right One In (2008, 98%) A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014, 96%)
Continuing the theme of last week’s closing film Only Lovers Left Alive, we recommend two more vampiric films: Let the Right One In and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. Both chronicle lonely young female vampires hiding under society’s nose, and both have an international touch: Right is Swedish, and Girl is purportedly set in desolate Iran (though was actually shot in the far-off wonderland known as Bakersfield, California).
Eyes Without a Face (1962, 98%) The Skin I Live In (2011, 80%)
Who would believe that Los Angeles, city of vaginal rejuvenation billboards on every street, wasn’t home to the world’s worst plastic surgery problems? First, look to France for Eyes Without a Face, an eerie and deeply haunting movie about a father who murders young women, using their skin to reconstruct his daughter’s car accident-damaged face. Director Georges Franju shot documentaries before Eyes and he uses those learned tactics on this film’s infamous surgery scene — it’s so matter-of-fact and quiet that it casually burrows into the mind.
Afterwards, hop on over to Spain for Pedro Almodovar and Antonio Banderas’ first collabo in decades. The Skin I Live In is also about facial reconstruction, along with rape and gender-bending — squirmy subjects that Almaodovar expertly treats with his usual flourishes of passion and color.
House (1986, 50%) House (1977, 90%)
Bet you can’t guess the connection between these two horror comedies! The American House stars William Katt as a writer whose son disappears at his aunt’s house and decides to move in after she commits suicide by hanging. The Japanese House, never seen in the U.S. until 2010, is a decidedly more bizarre affair. Several schoolgirls are beckoned to their aunt’s house, which begins devouring them one-by-one. As wacky as both movies can get, they operate within their own established twisted logic, and subsequently became hits within their home countries.
The Neon Demon (2016, 57%) Starry Eyes (2014, 75%)
Elle Fanning, the model with no past, arrives in The Neon Demon‘s Los Angeles eager to penetrate
the city’s highest cultural echelon, which involves joining a coven of starlets and Keanu Reeves as a scumbag landlord. Director Nicolas Winding Refn’s film is windy and eager to displease, but worth watching for the splashy vacant visuals and a Cliff Martinez soundtrack that works overtime.
Starry Eyes, also about the L.A. acting scene, is smaller in budget but bigger in cosmic scope, with a notable lead performance from Alex Essoe as the actress who pulls apart and succumbs to the industry’s sinister secret. The occult and cannibalism feature into these movies; they’re still not as far-fetched as La La Land.
Popcorn (1991, 29%) Dead End Drive-In (1986)
Time for a killing at the box office! Popcorn is a tasty little comedy slasher set during an all-night horrorfest set up by teens…who each start getting killed when a Leatherface wannabe starts slicing from the shadows. Follow that up with Dead End Drive In, an Ozploitation flick about New Wavers and gutter punks who become trapped by adults in a post-apocalyptic outdoor movie venue. I originally bought Dead End thinking it was going to be some trashy undead flick. There’s no undead but it is trashy with some wicked car stuntwork, and it’s also a surprisingly palatable allegory on how fascism foments among disaffected youth.
The Guest (2014, 89%)
Tonight, think twice before crossing Dan Stevens with science! The Guest is a hybrid mixing horror, action, sci-fi, and mystery topped with a wicked soundtrack, starring Stevens as an American soldier who has apparently undergone some kind of super-soldier experiment. Stevens shows up at the Peterson home claiming to be a platoon friend of their son, who was killed in Afghanistan. He ingratiates himself into the family (which includes Maika Monroe a year before her breakthrough It Follows) and this fun, unpredictable thrill ride takes off from there.
Silent Rage (1982)
Chuck Norris is Dan Stevens! That is, he plays Sheriff Dan Stevens, chasing down a psycho killer who’s been genetically endowed by unscruplous science lab dwellers with superhuman strength and regenerative powers. Norris as Sheriff Stevens may roundhouse kick his way through the scenery as usual, but make no mistake: this was shot and edited as a horror movie. The antagonist is framed like a slasher villain, there’s a few single-take Steadicam shots to creak up tension, and the movie throws a Jason-jumps-from-the-lake scare in its final frames. (You might also recognize this movie from Hot Fuzz as one of the movies Nick Frost contemplates purchasing at the supermarket.)
Trick ‘r Treat (2007, 83%)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982, 37%)
We’re concluding this series with two of the most October-thirty-firstiest films widely available. First on the bill is Trick ‘r Treat, Mike Dougherty’s interwoven collection of modern interpretations of Samhain fable and legend. The movie’s playful tone and top-shelf scripting has made this a cult classic, humble origins for something that was denied a general release for years, which now has its own dedicated zone during Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch was released when the Michael Myers saga ostensibly concluded after the second Halloween movie. The idea going forward was to regale aduiences with a new annual spooky tale, starting with Season‘s yarn of popular trick-or-treating masks featuring a nasty bit of built-in obsolescence: they melt the faces of anyone wearing them. One wonders why these chintzy masks would be all the rage with kids (especially with ColecoVision having launched that year!!), but that’s one of the goofy charms of this franchise black sheep. Happy Halloween!
Best Horror Movies by Year Since 1920
Look, we know that it’s the time of year when everyone and their sister has a list of the best horror movies of all time. This time out, we at Rotten Tomatoes decided to take a slightly different tack. Using our weighted formula, we compiled a list of the best-reviewed fright fests from each year since 1920 — the year The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, which created the template for horror cinema, was released. This wasn’t an easy assignment — there were several years, like 1932 and 1960, that boasted a slate of classic films (and a few others, like 1937 and 1938, in which we had trouble finding any solid contenders). What was the best horror flick the year you were born? Check out our list — if you dare.
Critics Consensus: Arguably the first true horror film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari set a brilliantly high bar for the genre -- and remains terrifying nearly a century after it first stalked the screen.
Synopsis: At a carnival in Germany, Francis and his friend Alan encounter the crazed Dr. Caligari. The men see Caligari showing [More]
Critics Consensus: One of the silent era's most influential masterpieces, Nosferatu's eerie, gothic feel -- and a chilling performance from Max Schreck as the vampire -- set the template for the horror films that followed.
Synopsis: Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence -- and his new real estate agent Hutter's wife. [More]
Critics Consensus: Decades later, it still retains its ability to scare -- and Lon Chaney's performance remains one of the benchmarks of the horror genre.
Synopsis: Aspiring young opera singer Christine Daaé discovers that she has a mysterious admirer intent on helping her become a lead [More]
Critics Consensus: Bringing its sturdy setup thrillingly to life, The Cat and the Canary proves Paul Leni a director with a deft hand for suspenseful stories and expertly assembled ensembles.
Synopsis: The relatives of Cyrus West gather at his estate on the 20th anniversary of his death to hear the reading [More]
Critics Consensus: A meeting of brilliant creative minds, The Man Who Laughs serves as a stellar showcase for the talents of director Paul Leni and star Conrad Veidt.
Synopsis: Disfigured by a king as a child, an 18th-century clown (Conrad Veidt) again becomes the pawn of royalty. [More]
Synopsis: A hybrid of documentary and fiction, this silent film explores the history of witchcraft, demonology and satanism. It shows representations [More]
Critics Consensus: Still unnerving to this day, Frankenstein adroitly explores the fine line between genius and madness, and features Boris Karloff's legendary, frightening performance as the monster.
Synopsis: This iconic horror film follows the obsessed scientist Dr. Henry Frankenstein as he attempts to create life by assembling a [More]
Critics Consensus:King Kong explores the soul of a monster -- making audiences scream and cry throughout the film -- in large part due to Kong's breakthrough special effects.
Synopsis: Actress Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) and director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) travel to the Indian Ocean to do location shoots [More]
Critics Consensus: Making the most of its Karloff-Lugosi star pairing and loads of creepy atmosphere, The Black Cat is an early classic in the Universal monster movie library.
Synopsis: Stranded Budapest honeymooners follow a mad doctor (Bela Lugosi) to a black-lipped architect's (Boris Karloff) Art Deco manor. [More]
Critics Consensus: A handsomely told tale with an affecting performance from Lon Chaney, Jr., The Wolf Man remains one of the classics of the Universal horror stable.
Synopsis: When his brother dies, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) returns to Wales and reconciles with his father (Claude Rains). While there, [More]
Critics Consensus: Influential noir director Jacques Tourneau infused this sexy, moody horror film with some sly commentary about the psychology and the taboos of desire.
Synopsis: Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon), a New York City--based fashion designer who hails from Serbia, begins a romance with marine engineer [More]
Critics Consensus: Evocative direction by Jacques Tourneur collides with the low-rent production values of exploitateer Val Lewton in I Walked with a Zombie, a sultry sleeper that's simultaneously smarmy, eloquent and fascinating.
Synopsis: Canadian nurse Betsey Connell (Frances Dee) is hired to care for Jessica Holland (Christine Gordon), a woman on a Caribbean [More]
Synopsis: When seamstress Lucille (Jean Parker) accepts a job designing costumes for charismatic puppeteer and portrait artist Gaston Morrell (John Carradine), [More]
Synopsis: Astrologist Hilary Cummins (Peter Lorre) works as a personal assistant to the eccentric and mostly paralyzed pianist, Francis Ingram (Victor [More]
Critics Consensus: As flying saucer movies go, The Thing From Another World is better than most, thanks to well-drawn characters and concise, tense plotting.
Synopsis: When scientist Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) reports a UFO near his North Pole research base, the Air Force sends in [More]
Critics Consensus:House of Wax is a 3-D horror delight that combines the atmospheric eerieness of the wax museum with the always chilling presence of Vincent Price.
Synopsis: Wax sculptor Henry (Vincent Price) is horrified to learn that his business partner, Matthew (Roy Roberts), plans on torching their [More]
Critics Consensus: One of the best creature features of the early atomic age, Them! features effectively menacing special effects and avoids the self-parody that would taint later monster movies.
Synopsis: While investigating a series of mysterious deaths, Sergeant Ben Peterson (James Whitmore) finds a young girl (Sandy Descher) who is [More]
Critics Consensus: Featuring Robert Mitchum's formidable performance as a child-hunting preacher, The Night of the Hunter is a disturbing look at good and evil.
Synopsis: The Rev. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is a religious fanatic and serial killer who targets women who use their sexuality [More]
Critics Consensus: One of the best political allegories of the 1950s, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an efficient, chilling blend of sci-fi and horror.
Synopsis: In Santa Mira, California, Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy) is baffled when all his patients come to him with the [More]
Critics Consensus: A curiously sensitive and spiritual addition to the Universal Monsters line-up, tacking on deep questions about a story who is shrinking to death.
Synopsis: While on a boating trip, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is exposed to a radioactive cloud. Nothing seems amiss at first, [More]
Critics Consensus: Deliciouly funny to some and eerily presicient to others, The Fly walks a fine line between shlocky fun and unnerving nature parable.
Synopsis: When scientist Andre Delambre (Al Hedison) tests his matter transporter on himself, an errant housefly makes its way into the [More]
Critics Consensus: Campy by modern standards but spooky and atmospheric, House on Haunted Hill is a fun, well-executed cult classic featuring a memorable performance from genre icon Vincent Price.
Synopsis: Rich oddball Frederick Loren has a proposal for five guests at a possibly haunted mansion: show up, survive a night [More]
Critics Consensus: Infamous for its shower scene, but immortal for its contribution to the horror genre. Because Psycho was filmed with tact, grace, and art, Hitchcock didn't just create modern horror, he validated it.
Synopsis: Phoenix secretary Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), on the lam after stealing $40,000 from her employer in order to run away [More]
Critics Consensus: A horrific tale of guilt and obsession, Eyes Without a Face is just as chilling and poetic today as it was when it was first released.
Synopsis: Dr. Génessier (Pierre Brasseur) is riddled with guilt after an accident that he caused disfigures the face of his daughter, [More]
Critics Consensus: Proving once again that build-up is the key to suspense, Alfred Hitchcock successfully turned birds into some of the most terrifying villains in horror history.
Synopsis: Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him [More]
Critics Consensus: Exquisitely designed and fastidiously ornate, Masaki Kobayashi's ambitious anthology operates less as a frightening example of horror and more as a meditative tribute to Japanese folklore.
Synopsis: Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai [More]
Critics Consensus: Roman Polanski's first English film follows a schizophrenic woman's descent into madness, and makes the audience feel as claustrophobic as the character.
Synopsis: In Roman Polanski's first English-language film, beautiful young manicurist Carole (Catherine Deneuve) suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction [More]
Critics Consensus: Never veering too far from the usual Hammer trappings, Dracula, Prince of Darkness casts an effectively vicious vampire yarn with its chilling atmosphere and spirited cast of characters.
Synopsis: Four tourists dine and spend the night at Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle; two escape and warn a monk (Andrew Keir). [More]
Critics Consensus: A frightening tale of Satanism and pregnancy that is even more disturbing than it sounds thanks to convincing and committed performances by Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon.
Synopsis: A young wife comes to believe that her offspring is not of this world. Waifish Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and [More]
Critics Consensus: Three auteurs descend on the works of Poe, each putting on a ghoulish show -- adapting The Tomahawk Man's tales of dreams and fright, with Fellini's segment particularly out of sight.
Synopsis: In one chapter of this three-in-one feature inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's tales, a countess (Jane Fonda), shunned by a [More]
Synopsis: Valerie (Jaroslava Schallerová), a Czechoslovakian teenager living with her grandmother, is blossoming into womanhood, but that transformation proves secondary to [More]
Critics Consensus:The Abominable Dr. Phibes juggles horror and humor, but under the picture's campy façade, there's genuine pathos brought poignantly to life through Price's performance.
Synopsis: In a desperate attempt to reach his ill wife, organist Anton Phibes (Vincent Price) is horrifically disfigured in a car [More]
Critics Consensus: Its visceral brutality is more repulsive than engrossing, but The Last House on the Left nevertheless introduces director Wes Craven as a distinctive voice in horror.
Synopsis: Teenagers Mari (Sandra Cassel) and Phyllis (Lucy Grantham) head to the city for a concert, then afterward go looking for [More]
Critics Consensus:Don't Look Now patiently builds suspense with haunting imagery and a chilling score -- causing viewers to feel Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie's grief deep within.
Synopsis: Still grieving over the accidental death of their daughter, Christine (Sharon Williams), John (Donald Sutherland) and Laura Baxter (Julie Christie) [More]
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a smart script and documentary-style camerawork, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre achieves start-to-finish suspense, making it a classic in low-budget exploitation cinema.
Synopsis: Young adults encounter a house full of demented butchers who chase them with chain saws and other deadly tools. [More]
Critics Consensus: Compelling, well-crafted storytelling and a judicious sense of terror ensure Steven Spielberg's Jaws has remained a benchmark in the art of delivering modern blockbuster thrills.
Synopsis: When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, [More]
Critics Consensus:Carrie is a horrifying look at supernatural powers, high school cruelty, and teen angst -- and it brings us one of the most memorable and disturbing prom scenes in history.
Synopsis: In this chilling adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel, withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) faces taunting from [More]
Critics Consensus: Employing gritty camerawork and evocative sound effects, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is a powerful remake that expands upon themes and ideas only lightly explored in the original.
Synopsis: This remake of the classic horror film is set in San Francisco. Matthew Bennell (Donald Sutherland) assumes that when a [More]
Critics Consensus: Though it deviates from Stephen King's novel, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness -- exemplified by an unforgettable turn from Jack Nicholson.
Synopsis: Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, hoping to cure his writer's block. [More]
Critics Consensus: So scrappy that it feels as illicit as a book found in the woods, The Evil Dead is a stomach-churning achievement in bad taste that marks a startling debut for wunderkind Sam Raimi.
Synopsis: Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell), his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun [More]
Critics Consensus: Smartly filmed, tightly scripted, and -- most importantly -- consistently frightening, Poltergeist is a modern horror classic.
Synopsis: Strange and creepy happenings beset an average California family, the Freelings -- Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenaged [More]
Critics Consensus:The Dead Zone combines taut direction from David Cronenberg and and a rich performance from Christopher Walken to create one of the strongest Stephen King adaptations.
Synopsis: When Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) awakens from a coma caused by a car accident, he finds that years have passed, [More]
Critics Consensus: Wes Craven's intelligent premise, combined with the horrifying visual appearance of Freddy Krueger, still causes nightmares to this day.
Synopsis: In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler [More]
Critics Consensus: While Alien was a marvel of slow-building, atmospheric tension, Aliens packs a much more visceral punch, and features a typically strong performance from Sigourney Weaver.
Synopsis: After floating in space for 57 years, Lt. Ripley's (Sigourney Weaver) shuttle is found by a deep space salvage team. [More]
Critics Consensus: Less a continuation than an outright reimagining, Sam Raimi transforms his horror tale into a comedy of terrors -- and arguably even improves on the original formula.
Synopsis: The second of three films in the Evil Dead series is part horror, part comedy, with Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) [More]
Critics Consensus: A clinical, maddening descent into the mind of a serial killer and a slowly unraveling hero, culminating with one of the scariest endings of all time.
Synopsis: Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna Ter Steege) are enjoying a biking holiday in France when, stopping at a gas [More]
Critics Consensus: Those unfamiliar with Alejandro Jodorowsky's style may find it overwhelming, but Santa Sangre is a provocative psychedelic journey featuring the director's signature touches of violence, vulgarity, and an oddly personal moral center.
Synopsis: In Mexico, the traumatized son (Axel Jodorowsky) of a knife-thrower (Guy Stockwell) and a trapeze artist bonds grotesquely with his [More]
Critics Consensus: Elevated by standout performances from James Caan and Kathy Bates, this taut and frightening film is one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date.
Synopsis: After a serious car crash, novelist Paul Sheldon (James Caan) is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), who [More]
Critics Consensus: Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.
Synopsis: Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice [More]
Critics Consensus: Overblown in the best sense of the word, Francis Ford Coppola's vision of Bram Stoker's Dracula rescues the character from decades of campy interpretations -- and features some terrific performances to boot.
Synopsis: Adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel. Gary Oldman plays Dracula whose lonely soul is determined to reunite with his [More]
Critics Consensus: The delightfully gonzo tale of a lovestruck teen and his zombified mother, Dead Alive is extremely gory and exceedingly good fun, thanks to Peter Jackson's affection for the tastelessly sublime.
Synopsis: Overprotective mother Vera Cosgrove (Elizabeth Moody), spying on her grown son, Lionel (Timothy Balme), as he visits the zoo with [More]
Critics Consensus: Horror icon Wes Craven's subversive deconstruction of the genre is sly, witty, and surprisingly effective as a slasher film itself, even if it's a little too cheeky for some.
Synopsis: The sleepy little town of Woodsboro just woke up screaming. There's a killer in their midst who's seen a few [More]
Critics Consensus: As with the first film, Scream 2 is a gleeful takedown of scary movie conventions that manages to poke fun at terrible horror sequels without falling victim to the same fate.
Synopsis: Sydney (Neve Campbell) and tabloid reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) survived the events of the first Scream, but their nightmare [More]
Critics Consensus: Full of creepy campfire scares, mock-doc The Blair Witch Project keeps audiences in the dark about its titular villain, proving once more that imagination can be as scary as anything onscreen.
Synopsis: Found video footage tells the tale of three film students (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams) who've traveled to [More]
Critics Consensus: Creepily atmospheric and haunting, The Devil's Backbone is both a potent ghost story and an intelligent political allegory.
Synopsis: After losing his father, 10-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives at the Santa Lucia School, which shelters orphans of the Republican [More]
Critics Consensus: With little gore and a lot of creepy visuals, The Ring gets under your skin, thanks to director Gore Verbinski's haunting sense of atmosphere and an impassioned performance from Naomi Watts.
Synopsis: It sounds like just another urban legend -- a videotape filled with nightmarish images leads to a phone call foretelling [More]
Critics Consensus: George A. Romero's latest entry in his much-vaunted Dead series is not as fresh as his genre-inventing original, Night of the Living Dead. But Land of the Dead does deliver on the gore and zombies-feasting-on-flesh action.
Synopsis: In a world where zombies form the majority of the population, the remaining humans build a feudal society away from [More]
Critics Consensus: As populace pleasing as it is intellectually satisfying, The Host combines scares, laughs, and satire into a riveting, monster movie.
Synopsis: Careless American military personnel dump chemicals into South Korea's Han River. Several years later, a creature emerges from the tainted [More]
Critics Consensus: Similar to the original in all the right ways -- but with enough changes to stand on its own -- Let Me In is the rare Hollywood remake that doesn't add insult to inspiration.
Synopsis: Bullied at school, neglected at home and incredibly lonely, 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) spends his days plotting revenge on his [More]
Critics Consensus: Effortlessly mixing scares, laughs, and social commentary, Attack the Block is a thrilling, briskly-paced sci-fi yarn with a distinctly British flavor.
Synopsis: South London teenagers (John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Leeon Jones) defend their neighborhood from malevolent extraterrestrials. [More]
Critics Consensus:The Cabin in the Woods is an astonishing meta-feat, capable of being funny, strange, and scary -- frequently all at the same time.
Synopsis: When five college friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams) arrive at a remote forest cabin [More]
Critics Consensus: Well-crafted and gleefully creepy, The Conjuring ratchets up dread through a series of effective old-school scares.
Synopsis: In 1970, paranormal investigators and demonologists Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) and Ed (Patrick Wilson) Warren are summoned to the home of [More]
Critics Consensus: Smart, original, and above all terrifying, It Follows is the rare modern horror film that works on multiple levels -- and leaves a lingering sting.
Synopsis: After carefree teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) sleeps with her new boyfriend, Hugh (Jake Weary), for the first time, she learns [More]
Critics Consensus: As thought-provoking as it is visually compelling, The Witch delivers a deeply unsettling exercise in slow-building horror that suggests great things for debuting writer-director Robert Eggers.
Synopsis: In 1630 New England, panic and despair envelops a farmer, his wife and their children when youngest son Samuel suddenly [More]
Critics Consensus: Funny, scary, and thought-provoking, Get Out seamlessly weaves its trenchant social critiques into a brilliantly effective and entertaining horror/comedy thrill ride.
Synopsis: Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend [More]
Critics Consensus:A Quiet Place artfully plays on elemental fears with a ruthlessly intelligent creature feature that's as original as it is scary -- and establishes director John Krasinski as a rising talent.
Synopsis: If they hear you, they hunt you. A family must live in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by [More]
The winners for the 32nd Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced today on a show hosted by comedians Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, and broadcast live on IFC. Moonlight was the big winner with six awards, including Best Feature, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Robert Eggers’ horror The Witch took home the Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay awards. Read through for the full list of winners.
Robbie Ryan (cinematography), American Honey; (sound design), Arrival
Mark Tildesley (production design), High-Rise
Mica Levi (music), Jackie; (stunt coordination), Jason Bourne
Justin Hurwitz (music), La La Land
Nat Sanders and Joi Macmillan (editing), Moonlight (visual effects), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Gary Clark and John Carney (music), Sing Street
Sturla Brandth Grøvlen (cinematography), Victoria
British/Irish Short Film of the Year
Isabella, Duncan Cowles and Ross Hogg
Jacked, Rene Pannevis
Sweet Maddie Stone, Brady Hood
Tamara, Sofia Safanova
Terminal, Natasha Waugh
The Toronto Film Critics Association revealed the winner of the Best Canadian Film Award in a gala held last night at The Carlu in downtown Toronto. The group had already announced the other categories on December 12. Read through for the full list.
From November through February, the best movies of 2016 are getting recognized by critics, press, fans, and members of the film industry from all over, in a number of award competitions. To keep track of all that, and help you make educated decisions when you place your Oscar bets, we put together a ranking of movies by number of awards won, and their respective categories, including all the major professional guild awards and the critics groups that qualify for membership on Rotten Tomatoes. Read on to find out where your favorite movies stand, and who is leading the pack. And make sure to come back after each award event for an updated list.
The Las Vegas Film Critics Society announced today the 2016 winners of the LVFCS awards on Twitter. La La Land was the big winner with 7 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, The Witch and Nocturnal Animals took home 2 awards each. Read though for the full list of winners.
The 22nd Critics’ Choice Awards were held in Los Angeles on December 11, hosted by T.J. Miller. Damien Chazelle’s musical La La Land led all films with 12 nominations, and it succeeded in securing eight of them, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Song, and Best Score. It also earned a Best Original Screenplay win, which it shared in a tie with Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea, winner of the Best Actor award thanks to Casey Affleck’s performance.
Natalie Portman nabbed the Best Actress award for her work on the historical biopic Jackie, which also won for Best Costume Design and Best Hair & Makeup, while indie darling Moonlight and sci-fi thriller Arrival, which both boasted 10 nominations, each came away with a pair of awards. See below for the full list of winners, and click here to see the TV winners.
The Boston Society of Film Critics picked the winners for their 2016 Awards on December 10 and announced them on December 11. Damien Chazelle‘s La La Land, one of the Oscar frontrunners for Best Picture, took home three awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Editing. Two other Oscar hopefuls, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea, and Park Chan-wook’s drama from South Korea, The Handmaiden, all took home two awards of their own. See below for the full list of winners.
Members of New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) held their 17th annual meeting on December 11, 2016 at the Furman Gallery within Lincoln Center. Moonlight shone brightly, taking six awards of the fifteen categories. Read on for the full list of winners.
The San Francisco Film Critics Circle announced the 2016 winners for their annual awards today. Moonlight was the big winner with six awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Barry Jenkins. Fences took home the awards for Best Actor (Denzel Washington, who also directed and produced) and Best Supporting Actress (Viola Davis).
This year two categories ended with tied results: both Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea were awarded with the Original Screenplay prize, while Arrival and Moonlight shared the award for Best Film Editing. Read through for the full results.
The film nominees for the 22nd Critics’ Choice Awards were announced this morning by People Now host Andrea Boehlke and Bingeworthy and EW Radio host Jessica Shaw on People.com.
The musical drama starred by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, La La Land, tops the list with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director. Moonlight and Arrival come tied in second with 10 nominations each, including Best Picture. Ryan Gosling scored two acting nominations this year, one for La La Land (Best Actor) and one for The Nice Guys (Best Actor in a Comedy). Read through for the full list of nominees, and make sure to check out the list of TV nominations, announced on November 14.
The Critics’ Choice will be celebrated on December 11 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California and broadcast live on A&E starting at 8PM ET/ 5PM PT. Check out the complete Awards Season schedule here.
The IFP Gotham Awards took place tonight at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, celebrating the biggest accomplishments of the independent filmmaking community in 2016. The ceremony was broadcast live on Facebook.
Moonlight was the big winner of the night, taking home both awards it had previously been nominated for, plus the Audience Award and the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Performance, for a total of four trophies. Manchester by the Sea, who had the most nominations, took the award for Best Actor (Casey Affleck). In addition to revealing the winners for each of its traditional competitive categories, actors Amy Adams, Ethan Hawke, producer Arnon Milchan, and director Oliver Stone were also honored with Award Tributes. Read through for the full list of winners.
The nominations for the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced today by actors Jenny Slate and Edgar Ramirez at a press conference streamed live on Facebook. Hit play to watch the announcement video, and scroll down to see the full list of nominees.
The inaugural edition of the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards was held tonight at BRIC, in Brooklyn, New York, kicking off the 2016-2017 awards season. O.J.: Made in America was the top winner with four awards in total, including Best Documentary, Best Direction, Best Limited Doc Series and Best Sports Documentary. On the TV/Streaming front, Ava DuVernay’s 13th took home the most awards with Best Documentary, Best Direction and Best Political Doc.
The Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards were created to honor the finest achievements in documentary features and non-fiction television. The winners were determined by a committee of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) members with a background and expertise in the documentary field. Read through for the full list of winners.
Your favorite celebrities, racial unity, election decorum — nothing is safe in 2016. Good thing we can turn to the movies for some mindful escapism… Yeah, right! 2016 cinema has responded in force, filling popcorn baskets with highly watchable deplorables, zombies, and demons, not to mention the worst dinner party this side of Exterminating Angel. Get your modern horror fix this Halloween with Fresh and Certified Fresh scary movies from an unusually wonderful horrible year!
This surreal Turkish shocker follows five police officers who become trapped in an otherworldly realm when they heed a distress call from an abandoned building located in a small, isolated town.
James Wan’s follow-up to 2013’s The Conjuring reunites Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who travel to London to help a single mother whose family is terrorized by a wicked spirit.
In this unnerving, sometimes darkly funny Polish import, a wedding in a remote country house is disrupted by a visit from an ancient dybbuk who seeks vengeance for crimes past.
Stephen Lang stars in this tense reversal of a home invasion thriller, in which a trio of thieves are systematically hunted down by the blind man whose home they assumed would make for an easy heist.
Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart star in this brutal thriller about a struggling punk band who are held captive and preyed upon by ruthless neo-Nazis after they stumble upon a gruesome murder scene.
Karyn Kusama’s disturbing thriller centers on a man who accepts an invitation to a dinner party hosted by his ex-wife and comes to suspect a dark hidden agenda at play.
Based on the viral short film of the same name, this supernatural frightfest starring Teresa Palmer and Maria Bello centers on a broken family haunted by a spectre from its past.
This surprisingly effective prequel to the forgettable 2014 original follows a scam psychic and her two daughters as they deal with an unwelcome spirit who enters their lives via the titular game board.
This anthology horror film tells five connected stories about weary travelers who are stuck wandering down a desert highway that doubles as their purgatory.
This acclaimed horror hybrid from debuting writer-director Babak Anvari is set in war-torn Tehran and centers on a mother and daughter who may or may not be suffering from the presence of a Djinn.
100%
79%
59%
94%
- -
45%
![Golden Tomato](http://
<div class=" clearfix">
<div class="col-sm-17 article_movie_title">
<h2><a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia">
Zootopia <span class='subtle start-year'>(2016)</span>
<span title='Certified Fresh' class='icon tiny certified'></span> <span class="tMeterScore">98%</span>
</a></h2>
</div>
<a class="col-sm-7 col-xs-24 article_movie_poster" href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zootopia">
<div><img class='article_poster' src='https://resizing.flixster.com/WaCy6yU0tkvoHBNBdFkIdbE_mjw=/fit-in/180x240/v2/https://resizing.flixster.com/-XZAfHZM39UwaGJIFWKAE8fS0ak=/v3/t/assets/p11993845_p_v8_aq.jpg' alt='' style='border-color: #EEEEEE;border-style: solid;border-width: 1px'></div>
</a>
<div class="col-sm-17">
<div> 9 wins Golden Tomato - Best Wide Release Golden Globes - Best Animated Picture TFCA - Best Animated Feature Critics' Choice - Best Animated Feature AFI Top 10 NYFCC - Best Animated Film DFW Film Critics - Best Animated Film KCFCC - Best Animated Feature PFCS - Best Animated Film </div>
</div>
</div>
){kind=link}