We’ve reached the midpoint of 2018, making this the perfect time to examine the best horror movies of the year so far. Though we’ve got a bevy of hotly-anticipated creepers coming down the pike (most notably The Meg, The Predator, and Blumhouse’s Halloween) the 5 films listed below are all contenders for the year’s Top 10.
Have a look at our choices for the best horror movies of 2018 (so far) below. Do you agree with our selections? What do you consider the best genre offerings of 2018 to date? What horror movies are you most looking forward to in the 2nd half of the year?
A Quiet Place
Synopsis:
In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.
After making a huge splash at its world premiere at SXSW, A Quiet Place hit the masses on April 6th, proving a critical and financial success. It’s a huge score for star/director/cowriter John Krasinski (best known as Jim from the American version of The Office) who finds himself an unlikely rising star in the horror arena.
Ghost Stories
Synopsis:
Professor Phillip Goodman devotes his life to exposing phony psychics and fraudulent supernatural shenanigans. His skepticism soon gets put to the test when he receives news of three chilling and inexplicable cases — disturbing visions in an abandoned asylum, a car accident deep in the woods and the spirit of an unborn child. Even scarier — each of the macabre stories seems to have a sinister connection to the professor’s own life.
A rare combination of smarts and scares, Ghost Stories is part anthology, part paranormal mystery, and 100% entertainment. You’ll need to strap your Thinking Cap on tight in order to grasp the full complexity of this spooktacular mind-bender, but it’ll likely delight even those it utterly mystifies. This one sports a twist you’ll never spot coming.
Hereditary
Synopsis:
When Ellen passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited.
Here’s what you’ve heard about Hereditary: It’s the scariest movie since The Exorcist; it’s a modern horror masterpiece that will shake audiences to their core; it’s destine to be considered essential horror canon, worthy of ongoing analysis and exploration; Toni Collette deserves an Oscar. Here’s what I think: It’s all true!
Upgrade
Synopsis:
A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralysed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life.
Leigh Whannell (who launched the Saw and Insidious franchises with his frequent co-collaborator James Wan) goes solo with Upgrade, a thrill-a-minute cinematic rollercoaster that obliterates the boundaries separating high-octane action and brutal body horror. In addition to earning its R rating, Upgrade offers brilliant storytelling and genuine human drama, all steeped in a near-future, dystopian aesthetic.
The Ritual
Synopsis:
Reuniting after the tragic death of their friend, four college pals set out to hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. A wrong turn leads them into the mysterious forests of Norse legend, where an ancient evil exists and stalks them at every turn.
What’s a Jötunn? Just the coolest, creepiest creature seen lurking in the shadows since Frank Darabont’s “impossibly tall” monster from The Mist! Though The Ritual and its ilk won’t get Academy Award consideration until films debuting on streaming services get the same respect as theatrical releases. Still, this Netflix Original is absolutely worthy of your time and attention.
