10 of the Best Horror Movies from 2016 – Screen Realm

The Conjuring 2 | New Line Cinema

2016 was a damn good year for fans of horror.

There were a number of solid horror movies among that years many superhero blockbusters, animated hits, crude comedies and high-brow dramas. Wether they be franchise films, nasty Spanish-language entries, or slow-burn creeeepfests, established genre filmmakers and newcomers alike delivered some terrifying, deeply unsettling pictures that had us biting our nails, covering our eyes, and losing hours of sleep.

In no particular order, here are ten great horror movies from 2016:

Master South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin (The Chaser, The Yellow Sea) delivered quite the multi-layered horror film with The Wailing, a film that becomes progressively more startling with every new development. It tells of a strange sickness that hits a small town; a sickness that may be connected to a mysterious Japanese man that lives in the mountains. Theres atmosphere to burn in this tense-as-hell outing, which manages to infuse a good bit of humour and drama for good measure. Get to it.

Based on a viral short film, Lights Out was just the right type of project for James Wan to jump on and produce. Not only was it a surprise financial hit, it was a fun, creepy and jump-filled little pic that had us aching for our childhood night lights. The feature film debut of short filmmaker David F. Sandberg was effectively made, nicely directed, well performed and offered up a few new scares thanks to the stay-in-the-light narrative.

Geez, what in the bloody hell. One of the most messed up horror films on this list has to be The Night of the Virgin, a Spanish film that tells of what goes down when a nerdy young guy heads to a mature womans cramped apartment in the hopes of losing his virginity. What follows is a bloody, fluid-drenched, utterly disgusting film and a film that is as imaginative and effectively claustrophobic as it is shocking. You wont be forgetting this body horror entry in a hurry.

Content Warning with this trailer:

James Wan delivered a fantastic follow-up to his 2013 horror hit. The Conjuring 2 finds Lorrain and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, respectively) heading to London to help out a single mother and her four children who are being plagued by a malicious spirit. Its another slick, scary-as-hell feature from Wan, who certainly knows how to structure some downright unnerving sequences. That freakin nun still haunts me. Shame about her spinoff.

Who would have thought? 2014s Ouija was a less-than-mediocre horror film; cliche-filled, dull and poorly executed. Eyes rolled when it was announced that Ouija: Origin of Evil was on the way, and understandably so. But director Mike Flanagan was at the helm of this one. Flanagan, known for Oculus, Before I Wake, The House of Haunting Hill, and another film on this list, gave us a surprisingly nerve-wracking, psychologically complex prequel that told of a family dealing with the possession of their youngest daughter.

A potent, atmospheric and oh-so unsettling exploration of how evil works its way into a New England family in the 1630s, The Witch is one that needs to be seen by horror fans and film fans overall. Its expertly crafted, with meticulous attention to detail, fantastic performances, and a true sense of evil creeping its way towards the surface as the film goes along. This one gathered acclaim throughout the festival circuit in 2015, leading to an impressive distribution roll-out throughout 2016.

Fede Alvarezs follow-up to his well-received 2013 Evil Dead remake was Dont Breathe, a nail-biter that flipped the usual home invasion narrative on its head by making the intruders the victims. Stephen Lang gave us an awesome horror villain with The Blind Man, a blind Army vet whos not too pleased that three young hoodlums are after his cash. Suspense is the name of the game here, the film making good on its title with scene after scene of tension and plot twists. Great stuff.

Available to watch on Netflix Australia right HERE.

Another home invasion horror-thriller with a bit of a twist. Whereas Dont Breathe gave us a blind villain, Hush gave us a deaf victim. This is another film from director Mike Flanagan (he had a very good year), who racks up the anxiety by giving us slickly designed sequences of pure tension, ramped up with point-of-view audio we often cant hear where the bad guy is either. The villain may not be very memorable, but the confidence and high energy on offer through much of the film makes up for a few exhausted tropes.

Available to watch on Netflix Australia right HERE.

The second South Korean picture in the list is this ambitious zombie movie that juices its fun concept for all its worth. We follow a self-absorbed businessman and his daughter as they travel by train from Seoul to Busan. When zombies overrun their train, well, its on. Train to Busan is exhausting, thrilling and surprisingly emotional, ticking off the necessary zombie movie checklist while keeping a close eye on characterisation and scope. If you havent seen this one by now, be sure to get on it before that sequel arrives.

Available to watch on Netflix Australia right HERE.

An under-seen gem, Under the Shadow is an internationally co-produced horror film set in war-torn 80s Tehran. The film follows a mother and daughter as they deal with the terrors of post-revolution Tehran of the 1980s. Its all hard enough, but its about to get a lot worse: a mysterious evil entity begins to haunt their home. The feature-length debut of Iranian director Babak Anvari (Wounds) is impressive, juggling more drama-common themes of femininity and suppression with a heavy dose of creep-out, psychological horror. This one deserves much more attention.

Available to watch on Netflix Australia right HERE.

Author:

Guillermo, Founder and Manager of Screen Realm, lives and breathes all things screen and pop culture. He has over eight years' experience in the media landscape in a career that has encompassed television, radio, and the online space. When he's not working hard on Screen Realm, you can find him at a local Sydney cinema or catching up on his ever-growing list of must-watch TV shows. He's also started a video podcast with his wife, Cassandra. Find the LOUD OBSERVERS right HERE.

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10 of the Best Horror Movies from 2016 - Screen Realm