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The 50 Best Sundance Horror Movie Premieres

‘Hereditary’ made a big splash at last year’s Sundance, but it’s not the only horror movie to have premiered at the film festival. Here are 49 others.
Sundance Horror Movies
By  · Published on January 23rd, 2019

30. VHS (2012)

Vhs

This anthology spiced up the found footage sub-genre by delivering five different stories all tied together via VHS tapes. While some segments leave a bit to be desired, the opener and closer from David Buckner and Radio Silence, respectively, are some of the best modern-day anthology entries you’ll find. The sequel would eventually go on to the be the crowning achievement in this franchise, but this first effort revitalized found footage and sparked a number of cheap imitations. (Chris Coffel)


29. Summer of ’84 (2018)

Summer Of

Team RKSS stick to the decade they revered in Turbo Kid, but tell a radically different nostalgic tale of coming-of-age horror. Summer of ’84 appears steeped in the works of Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante but ultimately lands in a climax their idols would never have dared to dream. A group of teenagers becomes convinced that their next door neighbor is a serial killer and the closer they get to the answers the bolder a path RKSS carve. Stranger Things redux Summer of ’84 most certainly is not. (Brad Gullickson)


28. The Greasy Strangler (2016)

Greasy Strangler

Surstömming is a Swedish delicacy which is typically described as Rotting Herring, and much like Jim Hosking’s film, it is an incredibly acquired taste. The Greasy Strangler follows a disco tour guide who lives with his son and thrives on grease, covering himself in the stuff at night to — you guessed it — strangle those who dared sleight him. But it’s the relatable love between the unbecoming that gives this film the same feeling of sickly sweetness that we once saw in Jared Hess’ Napoleon Dynamite. So if you, like me, are adventurous in your cinema and able to look past the grotesqueries, then you too may find The Greasy Strangler to be as heartwarming as it is gut-churningly artful. (Jacob Trussell)


27. The Pact (2012)

The Pact

In the wake of their mother’s death, Nicole and Annie return to their childhood home to gain some closure. What the find is a lot creepier, and hints that there’s more to their mother’s passing than meets the eye. A low-budget chiller with an eerie atmosphere, The Pact is a by-the-book ominous haunted house mystery that’s efficient, modest, and a solid night in home (alone). (Meg Shields)


26. V/H/S/2 (2013)

Vhs

Aliens, cults, zombies, ghosts, and haunted eye implants abound in this found footage anthology sequel. As with all collaborative collections, there are hit or miss entries here, but the V/H/S series deserves credit for (along with ABCs of Death, which was released the same year as the first V/H/S) re-popularizing the horror anthology format. The most memorable sequence is “Safe Haven,” a gorefest set in an Indonesian cult that clocks in under a half hour. The short, directed by Timo Tjahjanto and Gareth Huw Evans, reportedly had a tiny budget but packs a big punch thanks to its relentless scenes of creative gore, an undercurrent of dark humor, and a wonderfully batshit performance by Epy Kusnandar as the cult’s secretive leader. (Val Ettenhofer)


25. Lords of Chaos (2018)

Lords Of Chaos

The world of Norwegian Black Metal in the 1990s is one most of us are unfamiliar with, but director Jonas Åkerlund serves as the perfect guide into its darkest and most absurd depths. The film’s based on the true story of one band’s rise and fall, and while it comes complete with big laughs, black comedy, and an I, Tonya-like structure it’s also unafraid of pressing out faces into its bleakest and goriest moments. It’s a sad story told in an immensely entertaining fashion, and it’s one you won’t soon forget thanks to sharp writing/direction and the performances of Rory Culkin and Emory Cohen. (Rob Hunter)


24. Grabbers (2012)

Grabbers
IFC Films

Ireland is invaded by a mess of vampiric tentacles, and what starts off as a lark quickly escalates into a pretty scary little monster movie. The surprisingly gross beasties might have been enough to catch our attention, but the film ultimately succeeds due to the passionate performances from an earnest cast. Director Jon Wright has a total blast with the material, but he does not shirk dramatic weight delivering devastating emotional deaths amongst B-movie sight gags. (Brad Gullickson)


23. Killers (2014)

Killers

The Mo Brothers get better with each movie, but their talent has been evident since the very start of their careers. For their sophomore feature, Killers, they entered dark thriller territory for a story about two murderers who develop a bizarre relationship after discovering each other on the internet and realizing they shared the same past-time. However, one kills for righteous reasons, whereas the other is in it for the depravity. Naturally, these conflicting ideologies mean that their paths cross and all hell breaks loose. And much gruesome fun is had watching it all transpire. (Kieran Fisher)


22. Piercing (2018)

Piercing

Writer/director Nicolas Pesce is a maniac. He uses Ryū Murakami‘s demented novel as a means to express his fannish enthusiasm for Italian horror, delighting in the inevitable subversion of Christopher Abbott‘s murderous fantasy while offering plenty of winks and nods to the cinema he adores. The film roots around in perversion, squealing devilishly as Mia Wasikowska reveals herself to be someone every bit as special. A good time out at the movies? Only for the sickest and most diabolically minded members of the audience. Easy to dismiss for the queasy, but folks with staunch stomachs digest cheerily. (Brad Gullickson)


21. Sightseers (2012)

Sightseers

Imagine if Mike Leigh directed Natural Born Killers instead of Oliver Stone. Not only would that have been a less obnoxious movie, but it may have turned out like Sightseers. Ben Wheatley’s pitch-black comedy combines the great British caravan movie with psychotic couple-on-the-run yarn to create an experience that’s both disturbing and kinda sweet. Plus, there’s a really great joke about Daily Mail readers that actually provides a sound justification for the mayhem that surrounds it. (Kieran Fisher)


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