Well, that's a wrap on another year of horror, my friends. Like always, this year was filled with ups and downs. We have already given you a look at what we consider to be THE BEST HORROR MOVIES OF THE DECADE and THE TOP 10 HORROR/THRILLERS OF 2019. So now we want to change gears a little bit here and bring to light some of the flicks that we don't think got enough love this past year. From killer dolls to haunted halls, what follows are the films that we think you should give some love. Sure to be controversial, give our list a look-see below and then make sure to hit us up and let us know what YOUR top underrated fright flicks of 2019 were below.
[Lawrence Tierney gargling gravel] Let's goda work.
I mean really, who the hell expected a straight-to-video DOOM sequel to be anything approaching a good movie? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Exactly. And while, sure, it's not exactly what you might call a "good" movie by any stretch of the imagination, in the end, DOOM: ANNIHILATION was much more hellish fun than I expected. And leaps and bounds into Hell itself better than that one version with Dwayne The Rock Johnson. So if you haven't given the fast and furious flick its day in court yet, you can go ahead and stream it over on Netflix and let us know what you think!
FREAKS is a movie that splits me down the middle. The film sports a killer cast led by the awesome Emile Hirsch, doing their best to keep the oftentimes silly plot in check and grounded in somewhat of a believable reality. But this is a movie that tries to be clever – and two films at once – and it didn't really work for me. Plus, it kinda telegraphs its major plot "twists" ahead of the game. But all of these back and forth criticisms don't matter much by the time the film unveils its third act – which almost literally had me cheering at the screen. Got to love that ending!
One of the more shocking and disturbing entries on this list, PIERCING is a super twisted motion picture that sports a killer back and forth between its two mysterious main characters played by Christopher Abbott (IT COMES AT NIGHT) and Mia Wasikowska (CRIMSON PEAK). Add in some serious style on behalf of THE EYS OF MY MOTHER and upcoming THE GRUDGE reboot director Nicolas Pesce – and slick re-use of Dario Argento's TENEBRE score – and PIERCING is a movie I'm surprised more people weren't talking about this past year. Give it a chance already!
Remember above when I said PIERCING was one of the more shocking and disturbing entries on this list? Well, here's another. Netflix's killer thriller THE PERFECTION made my must-see list as soon as I found out GET OUT actress Allison Williams was attached. And let me tell you, once I was able to finally peeped the picture it shocked me in more than a few ways. That bus sequence. Cringe. And let's not forget about the film's final frames. Somewhere David Lynch is smoking profusely and nodding his head slowly in silent approval. Yeah, it's that horrifically beautiful.
MA was a movie I expected to be truly terrible. But then when the little lady made me sit down and watch it one night I was immediately struck by how wrong I was. If for one reason and one reason only: I love me some Octavia Spencer. And if you do too then MA is a true joy as we get to see her go full "no wire hangers" crazy on a bunch of teens and their d*ckhead parents. And boy does Spencer's Ma bring the pain. Just ask Luke Evans. I'd sure as Hell revisit Ma's place for a sequel! Or better yet, a spin-off pitting Spencer's MA against Kathy Bate's Annie Wilkes. Let's call it MA'S MISERY!
While it may surprise a few people, director Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Stephen King's THE SHINING sequel DOCTOR SLEEP almost didn't make it on this list. What I mean is I wasn't sure if the movie could really be considered "underrated." After all, everyone I know who's seen it loved it and calls it a damn-near masterpiece (including Quentin Tarantino). And so is that really what you'd call underrated? Well, considering the movie super-bombed at the box-office and it wasn't included in our recent Top 10 Horror/Thrillers of 2019 list, I thought I should add it here. Right smack dab in the middle.
Based on all the terrible reviews HELLBOY got when it was released, I figure without much doubt that the movie was going to be painful to sit through when I had to make an episode of THE KILL COUNTER from its carnage. But my goodness was I surprised at just how much balls-to-the-wall fun this flick was. You like blood, violence, freaks of nature? Well come on down to Neil Marshall's HELLBOY reboot and don't forget to bring ya mamma home some of Baba Yaga's famous fried children. But in all seriousness, HELLBOY reminded me of DRAG ME TO HELL Sam Raimi let loose into Hell itself. And let's not forget how much I loved David Harbour's take on the character. Now let's see a Netflix exclusive spin-off series, HELLBOY & HOPPER!
CHILD'S PLAY was a remake no one on Earth wanted. Except MAYBE Orion Pictures. Maybe. But then Mark Hamill was chosen to voice the new killer doll and people became intrigued. This is one of the few flicks I saw in theaters this year on a date night with the little woman and we both loved it through and through. I've called CHILD'S PLAY (2019) the most adorable slasher flick of all time before. And I stand by that statement. While Brad Doriff's Chucky is delightfully sick, Hamill's Chucky is surprisingly sweet. If extremely misguided. Give it a watch, people. Bring on CHILD'S PLAY TWO!
RAMBO: LAST BLOOD has been hit with tons of bad reviews since it hit in September. One big complaint is that Rambo gets his ass kicked. Big time. But that's exactly what I loved about it. Rambo doesn't just deal out death and judgment in this new movie. Sure he does, eventually, but what I loved so much about LAST BLOOD is just how much Rambo loses. And keeps losing. And failing. But he keeps getting back up to cut out the hearts of those that thought he'd go down easy. God bless John Rambo. Oh, yeah, and the final act is killer carnage candy. Eat your heart out, SAW franchise.
And here we are with writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's SPLIT and UNBREAKABLE sequel GLASS as the number one pick for most underrated film of 2019. In fact, I don't know one other soul other than myself who even likes this movie. But as I said in my 9/10 review earlier this year, I dug 90% of what Shyamalan threw our way with GLASS. Plus, it was such a joy to not only see Mr. Glass and The Overseer back in action but seeing them take on The Beast was a true joy. But my God did the ending sh*t the bed. Urgh. Not even I can defend that ending. Why, Shyamalan? Why? Sigh.
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And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Those are our picks for the Top 10 Underrated Horror Movies of 2019. What did you think of our list? Did we hit the nail on the head or miss it by a mile? Make sure to hit us up and let us know what you think below! And in the meantime…