31 Years in 31 Days: Horror Flicks from 2011
2011 saw some pretty good flicks released, but two in particular were real standouts. The first was a prequel to the 1982 flick The Thing. Now, the original The Thing is excellent. Kurt Russell kills it in that movie and the monster effects were top notch. Weird naming conventions aside, this new movie was also really damn good. To be fair, if you were to judge it based on critics, you’d hate it. It got destroyed by critics for being too much like the original (and all its cliche scares). My issue there is, jump scares and gross monsters are kind of part and parcel with the whole horror movie thing and when done with love, and there is some love in this movie, they work. Is it groundbreaking? Not at all. Did it need to be? Not at all. What you get is a movie about a group of scientists that discover an alien trapped under a ton of ice. Unfortunately for them the alien is still alive. And it kills them. In fun and creative ways. Rock this as a double feature with the 82 flick for a damn fine evening.
My favorite movie from 2011 though falls under the horror/comedy genre, and it was a remake. But, it had David Tennant in it so, win. Fright Night, the original, is indeed a movie. It is not as good as its cult status would have you believe and not as bad as the critics suggested. The remake though, also starring Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell, is a genuinely good movie. The acting is top notch, especially from Tennant. His role as Las Vegas vampire expert Peter Vincent is amazing. He’s is smarmy, sexy, funny, cowardly, and heroic all in one. Colin Farrell also kills it in this movie as the guy you secretly hope is dangerous but in reality is a fucking monster. The script is funny and clever. The scares are earned. The cinematography is great. This movie really works and is more than worth your time. Check this out and see you tomorrow when we start the home stretch and highlight some really great films.
