Top 25 Horror Movies of 2009 The Definitive List!
By now you should have probably noticed a ton of Top Lists for 2009 on site written by the staff members of our site. To give you an objective overview of what the top films of 2009 really were I have taken all the Top Lists written by the staff and compiled them into one master list. I have also include the votes of our readers to make this list as accurate as possible.
So without further ado here is the Definitive List of the Best Horror Films of 2009. If you have not seen any of these films.. you need to. As far as our staff and the readers of our site are concerned these horror movies are the cats ass!
#25: Last House on the Left Remake: Quite honestly all things considered I really do not disagree with the choice of Last House on the Left landing at #25 on our Top 25 since it was both disturbing and dark. As much as it is a remake it was well done with a focus on building a great story and not garnering mass appeal at the box office. Last House on the Left was great for a remake and lands at #25.
#24 House of the Devil: At #23 on our list is House of the Devil which tells the story of an attractive college student who takes a job in a creepy old mansion as a babysitter to earn money for a deposit on an apartment. Unfortunately for her the creepy man who works at the Mansion is much more than just creepy and there are no children that need sitting… it all ends badly!
#23: Carriers: Carriers is a fantastic take on the infectious plague genre that lacked the confidence of its studio and ended up with a limited theatrical release in about a dozen theaters and even worse an irritating release onto DVD which had me hunting all over to buy it. It makes its way onto the Top 10 not from staff votes but from the guest and member votes and I agree with them. Carriers is a character film that focus on the humanity of its characters and the story more than action as a brother and two girls try to escape and survive a plague that has turned the United states into a wasteland of suffering.
#22 Cold Prey: Cold Prey teaches the cold lessons of why you don’t want to go skiing in the alps… especially not to an abandoned ski lodge now inhabited by a psychopath. Released in theaters over seas in 2007 it released wide onto dvd here in north america Jan / 2009 which is why it made this list.
#21 Dead girl: Dead girl is a film summed up easily with the word Sadistic. But it’s also quite engaging in its story. Dead Girl will draw you in and spit you out with its intense writing and extreme brutality. Definitely not for the faint of heart!
#20 Babysitter Wanted: Babysitter Wanted flew under a lot of readers radar until Goon reviewed it and people went out and bought it and started talking about it on site. Babysitter Wanted teaches the important lesson of why there are much safer ways to get money than babysitting in an old isolated farm-house far from the safety of the city.
#19 The Collector: The Collector got mixed reviews from readers staff of this site but still made alot of Top 10 lists for 2009. The Collector is gruesome, disturbing and reminds us all why crime doesn’t pay.
#18 Surveillance: Surveillance is a film by Jennifer Lynch and its both disturbing and violent while still being very deep and through provoking. It tells the story of a town of crooked cops, two serial killing partners and a team of FBI agents out to get them. You will never guess the ending and the last 5minutes will definitely knock the wind out of you. Not for the weak of heart.
#17 The Children: Think of the Children as a modern-day telling of Children of the Corn only this time its a virus making the kids go bat shit crazy. The Children is a creepy christmas tale of a family that heads to the woods to celebrate and discovers their children have more in mind then unwrapping presents. Creepy and dark the Children is a fantastic film with a dark ending.
#16 Splinter: I am a huge fan of the thing and up until now no film has touched it. I say until now because Toby Wilkins SPLINTER is genius. Its dark, is gorey, its violent and it mixed sci-fi, nature and horror all in a nice little bundle that is sure to make you think twice about going to the woods anytime soon. Definitely an homage to The Thing it’s easily one of the best indie films made in the last 10 years.
#15 Doghouse: Doghouse is one of those movies that just re-enforces why as men we need to make sure we don’t confuse the women for the weaker sex. Especially not when they are a bunch of flesh-eating zombies looking to put all the men in the doghouse… or their bellies!
#14 Thirst: This one needs no intro. Directed by Park Chan Wook the genius behind the Oldboy series of movies its a vampire tale that every fan of Park’s should watch!
#13: End of the Line: I love zombie movies but I also love apocalyptic films with religious overtones. Seems I am not alone as the combined votes of our staff and members put End of the Line in the #14 spot on the Top 25 Horror Films of 2009. Beware religious whack jobs in uniforms sporting knives looking to bring about the end of days! Dark and gruesome End of the Line is everything a good apocalyptic horror film should be.
#12 The Orphan: I actually had the ending of this movie ruined by a forum member who posted the ending without a spoiler alert. Regardless I still watched it and much to my surprise enjoyed it. Although it did not make my Top 10 list I can see why it made so many staff members top 10’s and made it into the Top 25. The Orphan is a movie that will make sure orphanages around the world are a little fuller for a while.
# 11 Let The Right One In: Let The Right One In is easily the best vampire film to come out of the foreign markets in many years. A love story told between two teens it is shot in a very atmospheric way and is both creepy and endearing. The movie is so good I am actually interested in seeing how the remake Matt Reeves who directed Cloverfield is working on turns out.
# 10 REC: Not much to say about REC other than its the first truly scary zombie movie to arrive on the scene in many years. I love zombie movies and watch them all but admittedly most are for entertainment value and not scares. REC is both entertaining and scary and will make you think twice about staying in an apartment complex in Spain. REC was released onto dvds this year but had an international run in theaters in 2007. Real shame that we never experienced it in theaters.
# 9 Martyrs: Although Martyrs only made it to #9 on the score cards I think it really deserved to be a lot higher. Martyrs is one of the most disturbing and captivating movies I have ever seen. I saw it based on recommendations from those who had seen it and I was far from disappointed. Shocking and incredibly disturbing it is wrapped in a story that pulls you in deep and then spits you out. This movie redefines the word disturbing but in the same token is a fantastically written story. I had to fast forward through parts… it bothered me that much.
# 8 Dead Snow: Nazi’s, Zombies, Chainsaws, carnage and medical students skiing in the mountains. This is what Dead Snow brings to you. It’s a foreign film which brings some laughs, plenty of carnage and lots of zombies. It reminded me of a mix of Evil Dead meets Shaun of the Dead with a bit of Night of the Living Dorks thrown in the mix. This film landed high on a lot of our staffs Top 10 lists which is why it ended up at #8.
# 7 Drag me to Hell: Sam Raimis return to the genre that got him started was by most measures a success. It got mixed reviews from some horror fans but critics and the rest of the fans thought the film was genius. For me Sam Raimis Drag Me To Hell was a return to his roots. The film was filled with homages and easter eggs from his earlier films and was a complete riot with an ending that will please just about anyone. Definitely a fun film that lands at #7 on our list. This movie teaches us to never screw with an old Gypsy… they might just git you!
# 6 Grace: Grace tells the story of a woman who brings a baby to term and delivers it knowing that the outcome will be less than healthy. Grace is a disturbing film that is sure to make all expectant parents quicker and stare at those pregnant bumps with terrified eyes. Landing high on our staffs top lists it ended up at #6 overall.
# 5 Zombieland: Zombieland is easily one of the best commercial zombie movies to come out of Hollywood in some time. Its the North American answer to Shaun of the Dead while still very much being its own movie. The rules, the action, the romance and the laughs makes Zombieland easily one of the best films to hit the horror genre in 2009. It lands at #5 on our list.
# 4 Paranormal Activity: Paranormal Activity really does not need a lot said about it. Made for around $25,000 it went on to become the most profitable movie ever made. Considered by some to be over rated and by others to be one of the most terrifying theater experiences in years. Anyway you cut it a good film that lands at #4 on our staffs list.
# 3 Antichrist: Antichrist was all the buzz this year as easily one of the most messed up films of the year but also one of the most terrifying. PoppaScotch who was one fo the judges on this list put it best when he said Lars Von Trier is either a genius film maker or an absolute madmen. Antichrist tells the story of a couple who head to the woods to fix their relationship after a tragic loss and nature takes its course exploding into a truly mad film.
# 2 Trick R Treat: I really can’t argue with the #2 spot at all for 2009. Trick R Treat is one of the best horror anthologies I have seen since Creepshow. A mix of tales that tell their own story while still being interlinked its creepy, gruesome and lots of laughs. Without a doubt Trick R Treat is a fantastic film and it seems all the staff of HM.ca agree as it lands in the #2 spot. If you buy any movie off this list make it Trick R Treat and I will be shocked if you don’t love it.
# 1 Pontypool: The #1 place on our Top Films list goes to Pontypool and honestly I am somewhat surprised. I figured for sure that films with more notice like Zombieland or even Martyrs would have made it to #1 but it seems our staff have alot of love for this low budget Canadian zombie film about a DJ on the air during a disturbing and violent outbreak of a zombie like infection. Pontypool is a smart zombie movie that plays out like a stage play and focuses on the characters more then the action. Pontypool wont appeal to everyone but for this zombie fan it is one of the best written and most intelligent zombie films since Night of the Living Dead. It is also what our staff voted to be the #1 horror film of 2009.
Two Closing notes. First a thank you to all the staff who contributed their votes for Top film of 2009 and also a thank you to the 20 some odd members of our community who also took time to contribute votes to this list making it truly a Top Horror Films list by fans… and for fans. Without a doubt because of how we did this list you will be able to find a film on this list that you can truly love!
My Final closing note is a decision I made as site editor. District 9 actually landed at #3 on this list and frankly well deserving but I had to cave to the ‘scifi’ crowd. Alot of people have made comments to me that District 9 is scifi and not horror and although I refuse to take it off the site since its such an awesome and gruesome tale I do concede it does not belong on a Top Horror Films for 2009 list. So I made the choice to remove it but DEFINITELY make sure you buy District 9. Its a really awesome flick.
