Although most studio film releases including Halloween Kills, Candyman, and Atlers were removed from this year’s schedules there was no shortage of horror movie releases. Streaming services like Shudder, Netflix and Hulu really turned it out during last year’s Quarantine. Some films were simply put – awesome (Invisible Man, Host) and some were not so awesome (The Grudge, You Should Have Left). As you might remember from 2019, I stopped doing the Worst of part of my list, because nothing good comes from it and it’s unnecessary. Since, 2020 was a year filled with so much real life sorrow and horror, I found the horror comedies and satires to be what I responded to the most and they made me almost happy.
So out of the damn near 75 new horror movies I had the pleasure and displeasure of viewing these are my top picks for 2020 (in no particular order):
The Hunt
In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of elites gathers for the very first time at a remote Manor House to hunt ordinary Americans for sport. But the elites’ master plan is about to be derailed because one of The Hunted, Crystal (Betty Gilpin, GLOW), knows The Hunters’ game better than they do. She turns the tables on the killers, picking them off, one by one, as she makes her way toward the mysterious woman (two-time Oscar® winner Hilary Swank) at the center of it all.
Invisible Man
Trapped in a violent, controlling relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Moss) escapes in the dead of night and disappears into hiding, aided by her sister (Harriet Dyer, NBC’s The InBetween), their childhood friend (Aldis Hodge, Straight Outta Compton) and his teenage daughter (Storm Reid, HBO’s Euphoria). But when Cecilia’s abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House) commits suicide and leaves her a generous portion of his vast fortune, Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of eerie coincidences turns lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Host
HOST is the story of six friends who hire a medium to hold a séance over Zoom during lockdown, but they get far more than they bargain for as things quickly go wrong. When an evil spirit starts invading their homes, they begin to realize they might not survive the night. The film stars Haley Bishop (Deep State), Radina Drandova (Dawn of the Deaf), Edward Linard (The Rebels), Jemma Moore (Doom: Annihilation), Caroline Ward (Stalling It) and Emma Louise Webb (The Crown), who also operated their own cameras, helped pull off their own practical effects, and lit their own scenes. Due to social distancing precautions, director Rob Savage never set foot in the same room as his actors at any point during production and instead directed them remotely.
Vampires Vs Brooklyn
Three gutsy kids from a rapidly gentrifying Bronx neighborhood stumble upon a sinister plot to suck all the life from their beloved community.
Freaky
Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton, Blockers, HBO’s Big Little Lies) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries.
Antebellum
Successful author Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe) finds herself trapped in a horrifying reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery before it’s too late. ANTEBELLUM is a terrifying new thriller from the producer of the acclaimed films GET OUT and US, and groundbreaking directors Gerard Bush and Christoper Renz (Bush+Renz) – an exciting new voice in filmmaking.
The Wolf of Snow Hallow
Welcome to Snow Hollow. From acclaimed filmmaker Jim Cummings comes The Wolf of Snow Hollow.
Possessor
Uncut and uncensored from auteur Brandon Cronenberg, Tasya Vos invades the minds of others to make them carry out high-profile assassinations. But when she encounters a strong willed host, struggling for control reaches a violent pinnacle.
Uncle Peckerhead
When the punk-rock band DUH finds themselves on their first tour with a man-eating hillbilly for a roadie, the “gig life” is paved with nightmares and half-eaten bodies. Punk outfit DUH are about to embark on their first tour in preparation for a big hometown show. Only problem is they don’t have any wheels. Luckily, they run into a nice southern redneck, Peckerhead or “Peck” to his friends, who just happens to live in a 15-passenger van. He is more than happy to be their roadie and merch guy if they throw him a few bucks and cover gas. What could be the harm? He seems like a nice dude who is just down on his luck; maybe some comradery could do him well. However, Peck has a secret he is keeping: if he doesn’t take his medicine before midnight, he turns into a cannibalistic monster. But he is a nice guy, so he wouldn’t ever not take his medicine, right? Part insane road-trip comedy, part rock concert, part unimaginable gore-fest, Uncle Peckerhead has midnight movie written all over its bloody mangled corpse.
Homewrecker
Uncork’d Entertainment’s “Homewrecker.” Girls just wanna have fun.
Scare Me
During a power outage, two strangers tell scary stories.The more Fred and Fanny commit to their tales, the more the stories come to life in the dark of a Catskills cabin. The horrors of reality manifest when Fred confronts his ultimate fear: Fanny may be the better storyteller. Starring Aya Cash, Josh Ruben, Chris Redd and Rebecca Drysdale. Written and directed by Josh Ruben.
Malasana 32
It’s 1976. The Olmedo family has left the countryside for a new life in Madrid. But their new home becomes a house of horrors in this hit supernatural thriller based on actual paranormal events. Starring Begoña Vargas, Iván Marcos, Bea Segura, Sergio Castellanos, José Luis de Madariaga, Iván Renedo, Javier Botet. Directed by Alberto Pintó.
Triggered
Nine friends, each harboring a dark secret, go camping in the woods. After a wild night of partying, they wake up with suicide bombs strapped to their chests, all with varying times on their countdown clocks. They decide to work out how to disarm the bombs or find help – until they discover they can ‘take’ one another’s time by killing each other.
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight
Addicted to technology, a group of teens attends a rehabilitation camp in the forest, but a sinister force there intends to take them offline forever.
Bad Hair
In this horror satire set in 1989, Bad Hair follows an ambitious young woman (Elle Lorraine) who gets a weave in order to succeed in the image-obsessed world of music television. However, her flourishing career comes at a great cost when she realizes that her new hair may have a mind of its own.