A recent article at Business Insider made the rather bold suggestion that 2016 was one of the greatest years for horror movies ever. Admittedly, it was a pretty prosperous year for horror flicks at the multiplex. And yet, for every horror title that graced theater marquees, there were plenty more that didn’t get as much attention. Some of them were even worth watching. That being the case, we’re going to spend the next few posts talking about some of 2016’s overlooked horror films. Let’s begin with a few tales of terror that strike uncomfortably close to home.
Hush
First up is Hush. Now, the only good reason for Hush not making a big noise at your local theater is because it was never there to begin with. Released exclusively through Netflix back in April, this bit of streaming horror has slowly been building an appreciative audience ever since.
Hush tells the story of a deaf writer who holds up in the deep woods to write her next book, only to find herself marked for murder by a masked killer who shows up outside her door. The movie wastes little time in explaining who this maniac is or why he has chosen this particular woman to terrorize. That’s not to say there aren’t clues dropped to the killer’s motivations, only that they aren’t given center stage. Hush is content to recognize that there is evil in this world and it can strike at a moment’s notice. Not without reason does the Good Book tell us, “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent.”
Intruders
One of horror’s heavy hitters when it came to ticket sales in 2016 was Don’t Breathe, the tale of a band of thieves who break into a blind man’s house believing him to be an easy mark, only to discover their intended victim is quite handi-capable of defending himself. Intruders, which actually came out first, has a remarkably similar setup. In Intruders, three local losers attempt to burgle a home while the owner is supposed to be at her brother’s funeral. Unfortunately, the lady of the house has agoraphobia, and never made it past the front door. Worse still for her would be captors, she harbors a much darker secret down in the basement.
Despite the glaring similarities, Don’t Breathe and Intruders end up being entirely different films. While the former goes for the visceral thrills of gore and violence (and, ugh, turkey basters), the latter aims for more psychological chills. It’s not too much of a stretch to say the film even takes time to explore the very real problem of victims who become victimizers. In an article for Psychology Today, Steven Stosny, Ph.D. notes that “no treatment or support of victims can be successful by urging them to disown their compassionate nature and think more like abusers.” Without giving too much away, let’s just say that Intruders damsel (not so much) in distress never learned that lesson.
The Eyes of My Mother
As in the previous two movies, The Eyes of My Mother begins with a home invasion of sorts. In this instance, it is a seedy stranger who cajoles his way into an isolated farmhouse, only to murder the woman inside in front of her daughter. From there, however, it becomes something else entirely. Confining its narrative almost exclusively to the farm, the film follows the girl as she grows into a young woman, developing more and more… issues as time goes along. Woe be it to anyone her drops by her house for any reason.
Shot in artsy black and white, and paced slower than molasses, The Eyes of My Mother is the epitome of not-for-everyone. But if you ever dreamed about seeing Roman Polanski’s Repulsion starring Ed Gein in the lead role, or perhaps wondered what The Texas Chainsaw Massacre might be like as an art house chick flick, this just might be the film for you.
Housebound Horrors
As Don’t Breathe and its lesser known cousins demonstrate, the housebound horror genre was still alive and doing quite well in 2016. But why does the scenario remain so popular? One answer might be found in a number of recent studies which suggest Millenials don’t care to leave their houses very much. Be it a lack of cash, a dash of social anxiety, or just plain weariness from a long day’s work, Generation Homebody doesn’t seem all that interested in going out on the town.
But just because more and more folks are choosing to stay home at night doesn’t necessarily mean they are in a safe place. Filmmakers seem to be saying that if the people aren’t going to come to the monsters, the monsters will simply come to the people. And they won’t always knock first before they come in.
