4. I Survived a Zombie Holocaust
“It’s just a semi, IT’S JUST A SEMI” our poor hero has to say over and over again in just of the hilarious scenes from New Zealand comedy I Survived a Zombie Holocaust. Some might compare it to Brain Dead because of its country of origin, but I Survived a Zombie Holocaust is a laugh out loud beast unto itself and is more like a Kiwi Shaun of the Dead.
However, while it’s easy to make the comparisons, I Survived a Zombie Holocaust deserves more than to be simply put against Peter Jackson’s cult classic or Edgar Wright’s genre bar setter.
[I Survived a Zombie Holocaust is] one of the funniest zombie comedies in recent memory (apart from last year’s tremoundous Stalled) and is a great example of how to get the genre right. A brilliant thrill ride that will make you laugh, make you hurl and can even make you cry – even if it’s just from laughing so much.
Read our review here.
3. Housebound
Easily in contention for getting the most laughs from the FrightFest audience, Housebound is funny because its so dry and it’s never dancing around like a clown to make you chuckle. It also features perhaps the best line of the whole festival, “you can’t punch ectoplasm”.
The movie is just brilliant and superb stuff and deserves it’s spot on this list.
“Housebound is a brilliant film and it works on every level it attempts. When it tries to be funny, it’s hilarious and when it’s trying to scare you, it makes you jump. The cast of characters are perfectly played and the story and all of its nuances are brilliantly intriguing and well paced. Johnstone throws a lot of elements into this saucepan, but the concoction he’s created is beautifully gory, funny and scary in equal measures. While you can’t call it a masterpiece, it’s certainly a sublime first effort from the young filmmaker.”
Read our review here.
2. The Guest
After a preview screening of The Guest prior to opening FrightFest, I turned to Paul McEvoy and said, “this is the perfect opening night movie for FrightFest and the audience is going to love it.” I stand by that to this day.
Darkly hilarious, wickidly creepy and brilliantly performed by Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe, The Guest is a great film and the best work from Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett yet.
“Few filmmakers could pull off a movie like The Guest and do it this well, but [Adam] Wingard and [Simon] Barrett have knocked it out of the park. With a performance like this, Dan Stevens could solidify himself as a horror-favourite and he should really be getting a lot of work elsewhere too. The rest of the cast are also brilliant and are supported by a great script and pinpoint directing.”
Read our review here.
1. The Babdook
Could it have really been anything else? Easily the best movie of the festival and one of the best movies of the year. The Babadook is a chilling look into the joint psychosis minds of two neurotic individuals.
The Babadook can be a bit silly at times but that’s its point. It will have you gripping the arm rest of the chair and you won’t let go until the credits have finished. Jennifer Kent’s horror masterpiece is simply phenomenal.
“Victims become attackers, aggressors become victims and The Babadook never lets up. Some might feel that the execution of the Babadook himself might be a little goofy and the ending to be a bit over-the-top, but the effectiveness of the tension built by Kent along with the terrific performances by Davis and Wiseman is chilling, heartbreaking and utterly terrifying. The Babadook is edge of your seat stuff and it will keep on you on that edge until the final credits roll. Not just one of the best horror movies of 2014, but one of the best movies of the year period.”
Read our review here.
Luke Owen is the Deputy Editor of Flickering Myth and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published August 27, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
