The Best Horror Films Of 2014 – By No Devotion's Lee Gaze

Features
By ( Louder ) published

The guitarist reviews this year's best scariest movies. Plus a couple of right stinkers, too.

When he’s not playing guitar for No Devotion or tweeting excitedly about Ethiopian coffee, Lee Gaze watches horror films with the sort of regularity other people watch cat videos on YouTube. But that’s not to say he’s seen them all.

“There are some glaring omissions: The Guest, It Follows and Starry Eyes,” says Lee of his end of year review. “I’ve not seen them yet, though they’re rumoured to be great.” Here’s Lee’s look back at the best horror films of 2014, plus two he reckons are “stinkers”. Caution: some of these trailers might creep you out, so, you know, watch them with all of your house lights on. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

1. Under The Skin

“Not a typical horror by any means, but Jonathan Glazer’s sci-fi epic easily contains some of the year’s creepiest scenes. A perfect blend of surrealism and realism with a career-defining performance from Scarlett Johannson.”

2. Big Bad Wolves

“Israel isn’t a country people generally look to for horror, but Aharon Keshales delivers a scathing, satirical revenge thriller that is equal parts hilarious and disturbing. Quentin Tarantino’s favourite film of 2014.”

3. Honeymoon

“Leigh Janiak’s stunning debut Honeymoon serves as a perfect metaphor for not really knowing the one you ‘love’. A true slow burn horror with a great pay-off reminiscent of David Cronenberg.”

4. The Borderlands

“The Borderlands breathes new life into the most tired of sub-genres: found footage. A brilliant supernatural horror set in rural England with scares aplenty and a brilliant ending.”

**5. Bastards (Les Salauds) **

“Claire Denis is one of the greatest living female directors and this is easily her most disturbing work to date. At its core, it’s a simple revenge thriller, but the Lynchian tone and a stunning soundtrack from Tindersticks elevate this above and beyond.”

6. Jug Face

“The best pottery-themed horror of the year. Seriously.”

7. The Strange Colour Of Your Bodies Tears

“A homage to the 70’s best Giallos [Italian horror/mystery genre] and heavily influenced by Argento among others. Stunningly shot and edited and with a great soundtrack. As convoluted and absurd as any of the best Giallo.”

8. As Above, So Below

“Another found footage film with all the familiar tropes in place. This was elevated for me by the Indiana Jones element and me being a hopeless claustrophobic.”

**Two Of The Year’s Stinkers **

1. Willow Creek

“Someone has been raiding the Blair Witch dustbin again. Absolute garbage of the highest order.”

2. The Quiet Ones

“How about less ‘quiet’ and more ‘don’t fucking bother’. Total rubbish.”

No Devotion will tour from January 19 as support to Gerard Way. See here for further details.

Simon Young
Simon Young

Born in 1976 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Simon Young has been a music journalist for over twenty-six years. His fanzine, Hit A Guy With Glasses, enjoyed a one-issue run before he secured a job at Kerrang! in 1999. His writing has also appeared in Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog, and Planet Rock. His first book, So Much For The 30 Year Plan: Therapy? — The Authorised Biography is available via Jawbone Press.