1.) The Hunger (1983)

Tony Scott’s story of a love triangle between a doctor who specializes in aging research and a vampire couple played by David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve, 1983’s ‘The Hunger‘ is simultaneously terrible and wildly entertaining, with an ice-cold 80s aesthetic and scenery chewing galore. Perfect for a Valentine’s Horror pick.

2.) Dead Ringers (1988)

David Cronenberg’s ‘Dead Ringers‘ (1988) is an eerie and disturbing psychological thriller about twin gynaecologists who gradually descend into madness, played by Jeremey Irons. A different type of Valentine’s Horror (this one is particularly icky), ‘Dead Ringers’ avoids slasher chases and jump scares for a sterile, insidious dread that builds to a fever pitch by the film’s insane conclusion.

3.) Let The Right One In (2008)

Tomas Alfredson’s ‘Let The Right One In’ is an iconic tale of A 12-year-old boy who befriends a mysterious young girl during a horrifying series of murders deep in the darkness of Sweden’s winter is best watched in its original version. Dark, but ultimately a very human story, this one’s a great winter time watch and a solid Valentine’s Horror selection.

4.) Candyman (1992)

The pairing of an equally sympathetic & terrifying villain, captivating cinematography, electric performances and Philip Glass’ unforgettable score combine make ‘Candyman‘ one of horror’s best love stories. Clive Barker’s now legendary creation leaps of the screen through Tony Todd while Bernard Rose assembles a nearly perfect picture, never missing a beat in the story and making every frame a painting in what might be the perfect Valentine’s Horror film.

5.) Fear (1996)

One of the 1990’s teen horror “so bad it’s good” classics, 1996’s ‘Fear‘ has Marky Mark Wahlberg terrorizing the family of a young Reece Witherspoon in this guilty pleasure / garbage fire of a teen romance gone off the rails. Between the Alt-Grunge soundtrack, Wahlberg’s hilarious performance, casual fingerbanging and the bizarre appearance of CSI’s William Petersen as the Dad there’s way to much glorious B-movie goodness to ignore for your Valentine’s Horror watchlist.

6.) Possession (1983)

Andrzej Żuławski’s unflinching, surreal story of a woman who’s love affair with something sinister destroys everyone around her in the oppressive regime of 1980’s East Germany. Read our full review of Possession here!

7.) Midsommar (2019)

Ari Aster’s “break up movie” ‘Midsommar‘ was one of 2019’s best. A young couple tries to escape tragedy by visiting a remote Swedish commune where things aren’t what they seem. Easily one of 2019’s best, if you’ve not yet seen Midsommar, now’s the time.

8.) The Fly (1986)

Jeff Goldblum drips his way into our hearts as Seth Brundel, a scientist who’s experiments with teleportation transform him into a horrific fly monster in David Cronenberg’s legendary 1950’s b-movie reboot of ‘The Human Fly’. Glorious practical effects, tons of goopy gore, nude Goldblum…what else do you need for a perfect Valentines horror movie?

That’s the threadbare plot for “Undercover Bike Cop”, a short film we discovered at this year’s Horror-O-Rama. Channelling equal parts Quentin Depeaux and Walter Hill, this charmingly surreal 30 minute short comes from Toronto based director Brandon Espana who we discovered after getting his energetic elevator pitch in a convention hall basement.

After following to his table of ‘Retro Video’ projects and getting sucked into the orbit of his manic energy, we had to know more about how “Undercover Bike Cop” came into existence.  Awash in synthwave style neon and aglow with 80s film grain goodness, the short shows some serious technical chops from Espana, a one man production shop; shooting, writing, editing and directing his projects with a close crew from film school on non existent budgets. We were lucky enough to grab some time out of his hectic schedule to pick his brain on how the project came to be, why he went behind the camera and how filmmakers need to step up their game in the new decade. 

“Like, everybody just fucking does John Carpenter” says a chuckling Espana over the phone “That was one filmmaker I just didn’t want this short to be influenced by”, when asked about what drove the making of “Undercover Bike Cop“.

“I wanted to do something like Walter Hill” he says “the Warriors was a big influence on it, Streets of Fire as well”. We share a Michael Paré appreciation moment and he continues: “Another influence was “China Girl” by Abel Ferrara…later on during the filming…the colour palette, Susperia was a big one, was a big influence for the indoor scene. And then Blade Runner was a big influence for the outdoor scenes…how to use lighting…that was all natural light”.

“I wanted to experiment with stuff and what better way to start with than something that you actually enjoy?”.

Blade Runner and Walter Hill are apt comparisons for the visuals Espana delivers. While an undoubtedly fresh filmmaker, the technical skill of “Undercover Bike Cop” , and it’s ultra-hip, 80s aesthetic immediately stand out.  When asked what came first, the story or the style, he’s candid, explaining that he and his friends had the idea for “Bike Cop” back in high school for a class project, and revised it for the short. “I thought of bringing in the specific style might…make it a bit more appealing. Because I just like that style (Synthwave)  in general…I wanted to experiment with stuff and what better way to start with than something that you actually enjoy?”. He continues “I think music music was a big part of it. Just listening to it and then getting a certain style from it” he laughs again, “…it kind of sounds weird…but a tempo from it that I could imagine a scene playing out at… just listening to it on repeat”. 

Director Brandon Espana

When asked how he got going in filmmaking however, it wasn’t immediately behind the camera: “Originally, I wanted to be in front of a camera. I wanted to be an actor and I did acting auditions and stuff for a couple of years and then. I don’t know, I just wasn’t feeling it anymore…and then I thought: Hey, maybe if I can’t be in front of the camera, I’d want to be behind the camera”.

From fooling around with a DV camera (which he still has) to working on videos in high school to eventually attending Humber Film School in Toronto, he’s now firmly planted on the other side of the lens, doing it all himself. “I didn’t really have anybody. I didn’t have any like art people or whatever, we didn’t have any like production assistants,” he laughs again “maybe one on one day… because for the most part it was just me and the actors.”. I ask if he’s more of a lone wolf or a collaborator. “I like to have control over most of what I do…. as you can see by how my name is plastered all over ‘Undercover Bike Cop” he laughs again. 

“There was a lot of moments where, like, I would want to get things done…done, done, done, done…And then I would like it try to rush things. And it would never work out”.

We speak a bit more on being a creator and if it’s better to go in alone or take the plunge into film school, a decision that many first time filmmakers struggle with. “Try not to care what anybody else thinks about the dream. Like your dreams are what you want to do. Like, ‘oh, I want to be a filmmaker’ And they’re just like….. what? No.’ People would say that! And I’d say: Just you watch”. And film school? “College actually was useful for one thing….it got me a lot of connections for people I work with. So I got actors and and sound people and I got people that were willing to help me with my project. So that’s kind of one thing that some school did help me with.” He then goes on about another lesson learned from school, one that strikes at the heart of the indie creators dilemma… “There was a lot of moments where, like, I would want to get things done…done, done, done, done…And then I would like it try to rush things. And it would never work out”. Espana sighs and continues …”It’s not gonna get done the way you wanted it to. So be you have to be patient. Got to have the passion for it and stay committed”. 

On his future projects, Espana says to expect something totally different from the slow burning, film noir style of ‘Undercover Bike Cop‘. “I’m still fully feeling things out for sure….Im experimenting…I want do do something completely different.” We talk about his new project, a Sci-Fi ‘Trash’ film shot on VHS entitled “Forgotten Trash”.  

“Coming back from Horror-o-Rama, a lot of people would just message me after this …’Like, I can’t wait to watch what you do next’. He laughs again, and goes on “ I’m ..uh..kind of happy because ..well, the next one I uh…. I purposely made it. Not good. Like it’s not good on purpose.” I ask what he means by “not good on purpose’ and his deep knowledge of VHS cinema comes out. We talk about monuments of awfulness like ‘Things’ and ‘Feeders’, straight to video movies form the 80s that are addictive, stroke inducing artifacts of another era without any care for quality. 

“There’s pressure that’s been lifted off of me being like, okay, …if people don’t like it, I get it. I actually worked hard on this one (‘Undercover Bike Cop‘). But that’s not the case for Forgotten Trash.. That is not the case in the least!”

“The style is very it’s completely different from ‘Undercover Bike Cop’ It’s very amateurish. It’s it’s in the name. It’s supposed to be a trash film. I’m making a movie that is a the spin on poor quality… in terms of technical aspects of film making, the camera sound and all the stuff …So I feel like it does for at least me. It’s completely opposite. There’s pressure that’s been lifted off of me being like, okay, …if people don’t like it, I get it. I actually worked hard on this one (‘Undercover Bike Cop‘). But that’s not the case for Forgotten Trash.. That is not the case in the least!”

And as for where he sees genre films going in the new decade? Espana’s obviously a film buff and this gets him going: “I’m sick and tired of it.  It’s now just franchising everything. We don’t need a sequel to a bunch of movies. Just keep it at one. And then move on and do another idea.” I ask if this means there won’t be an “Undercover Bike Cop 3”, an idea he jokingly, but immediately shoots down.

“I’m not the biggest fan of these sort of like slow paced like I guess could call it …art house films either. Because it’s becoming mainstream…. it’s not an indie thing anymore. It is becoming mainstream to do this style like anything else, and they don’t get it”.

“I’m not the biggest fan of these sort of like slow paced like I guess could call it …art house films either. Because it’s becoming mainstream…. it’s not an indie thing anymore. It is becoming mainstream to do this style like anything else, and they don’t get it”. He goes on to lament how this style, like 80’s Slashers or 90’s Teen Horror will burn out after a few years. “People are liking it a lot…I think when I when I first watched Hereditary I fuckin hated it” he chuckles heartily before quickly correcting himself “No no…It’s really OK, I liked it…but now there’s so much. I like something a little more lively in what I watch, you don’t have to make everything two-and-a-half hours long! That’s kind of tiring. I just want to see, and I feel like a lot of other directors do too, we just want to see more original stuff.”

You can watch Undercover Bike Cop below (or order on VHS!), and follow Retro Video online for more info on Brandon Espana’s upcoming films. 

2019 came and went without a stand out monolith like Hereditary, Get Out, The VVitch or even a Conjuring to dominate Horror fans discourse and definitively declare it to be the year of any particular film. However, with lackluster offerings from major studios and so-so sequels battling comic book blockbusters for mainstream attention, it was truly a year where smaller, indie films and foreign features stood out, while niche streaming truly took over as a major vehicle for horror fans to get their fix outside Netflix. Take a look at some of our favourites over the past year, ranked in no particular order. From exploding pot headed vampires to creeping cosmic horror, from the 1980’s of Paris to the center of the galaxy, it’s been a wild ride with some freaky, fun and fantastic films you just can’t miss.

KNIFE + HEART (UN COUTEAU DANS LE COEUR)

? Director: Yann Gonzalez | French (France)

Directed by M83’s Yann Gonzalez, the world of “Knife + Heart” created a Neo-noir Giallo in the saturated , hyper-sexual 80s vision of a masked murderer’s rampage through Paris’ gay underground. Absolutely stunning visually with a surreal, self-aware script, Knife + Heart managed to make its way to North America in late 2019 via Shudder, just in time to land on our best of list. For fans of Dario Argento and David Lynch alike, this film oozes sex, style and sadness…a perfect mix.

MIDSOMMAR

? Director: Ari Aster | English (USA) | Streaming on PRIME

After 2018’s unstoppable Hereditary , all eyes were on Ari Aster to deliver his follow up, and deliver he did with one of the Best Horror Films Of 2019. A “break up movie” that lays waste to everything it touches, Midsommar boldly stepped out of the shadows with a sun soaked, hallucinatory tale of a cult hidden in the hills of Sweden and what happens to a group of friends who attend their annual solstice festival. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned, and Aster ratchets up the dread and delivers some supremely satisfying gore without relying on either genre tropes OR his previous work. An absolute must-see for 2019, Aster continues to be one to watch in the world of Horror.

TERRIFIED (ATERRADOS)

? Director: Demián Rugna | Spanish (Argentina) | Streaming on SHUDDER

Another delayed arrival to North America, 2017’s Argentinian paranormal shocker Terrified turned the haunted house genre on its head with a tale of an entire neighborhood besieged by strange happenings and the mysterious team of investigators sent to stop them. Brilliant both visually and sonically, Terrified takes every disadvantage of its meagre budget and instead uses it to obscure, deflect and distort the monsters, both human and otherwise, making them infinitely much more effective when they finally come forth. This one had us genuinely gasping throughout!

GIRL ON THE THIRD FLOOR

? Director: Travis Stevens | English (USA) | Streaming on PRIME

“Girl On The Third Floor” is a tightly scripted, deceptively simple story of a not-so-good guy in way over his head during a hellish home renovation, and one easily of the best horror films of the 2019. Heralding the directorial debut of “Starry Eyes” and “We Are Still Here” producer Travis Stevens, this one is a slow-burning, unapologetic B-movie with one of the year’s breakout performances in WWE star Phil ‘CM PUNK’ Brooks and some jaw-droppingly disgusting practical effects for another one of the Best Horror Films Of 2019.

COLOR OUT OF SPACE

? Director: Richard Stanely | English (USA)

Heralding the return of Richard Stanley after a 20+ year hiatus from film-making, the brilliant director of Hardware and Dust Devil takes H.P. Lovecraft’s classic tale of a family farm under siege by cosmic horrors into the 21st century, anchored by Nicolas Cage in one of his best recent performances and filled to the brim with body horror using incredible practical effects that would make even Screaming Mad George blush. With Stanley at the helm, a veteran of the genre has presented a classic horror story without an ounce of post-modern irony, while still paying proper justice to Lovecraft’s often indescribable cosmic landscapes.

COME TO DADDY

? Director: Ant Thompson | English (USA)

When the vapid and aimless Norval (Elijah Wood) receives a letter from his long-lost father, who left him and his mom behind decades ago, he treks out to his dad’s remote cabin in search of the family reunion he has always dreamed of. Noval’s dreams fall apart pretty fast when he meets his brittle and horribly mean, alcoholic father Brian (Canadian acting legend Stephen McHattie). “Come to Daddy” is one hell of a midnight movie (read our full review here!) that’s all but guaranteed to entertain and thrill the genre crowd. Those who have the stomach for bloody antics will soon find director Ant Timpson also laces in solid character development in-between the ultra violence, letting his actors make a meal of every scene.

BLOOD MACHINES

? Director: Seth Ickerman | French (France)

Essentially an epic music video for synth wave provocateur Carpenter Brut, the hyperactive, hypnotic “Blood Machines” marks the feature debut of directing duo Seth Ickerman. Yes, it is mostly style over substance, with a threadbare story of space scavengers and cosmic sorcerers fighting to steal a rogue AI, but when your style is just so fucking cool does it even matter? Stunning from the first second to the last, “Blood Machines” delivers more in it’s lean 50 minute run time than most blockbuster action films could hope across three sequels, and you won’t even notice the plot holes with your jaw firmly dropped to the floor. This one hits Shudder in 2020, so keep your eyes to the sky.

BLISS

? Director: Joe Begos | English (USA) | Streaming on PRIME

Messy and energetic like a really good mixtape, Bliss is packed with gory, goofy fun and some of the most gloriously over the top ideas we saw in 2019. The tale of an LA artist who’s creative block is finally lifted through some decidedly bloody inspiration, Bliss careens across it’s city setting gleefully lifting the best bits of body horror, vampire movies and crime stories to create a thoroughly entertaining and original B-movie bop.

ANNABELLE COMES HOME

? Director: Gary Dauberman | English (USA)

Full disclosure: we love the Annabelle series, from it’s terrible 1st entry to it’s glorious prequel to this, the 3rd entry in the series spun off from James Wan’s billion dollar horror juggernaut, The Conjuring, so any attempt to argue it’s place as one of the Best Horror Films Of 2019 will be soundly ignored. Not as awful as the first, not as surprisingly well done as David F. Sandberg’s entry, this Annabelle returns the doll to her origins and manages to give us an effective, Halloween friendly horror film that stood out as one of the better mainstream offerings of the year. With plenty of mayhem and some crossovers from The Conjuring cast, there’s no better rain day watch than this.

IN FABRIC

? Director: Peter Strickland | English (UK) | Streaming on PRIME

Blending fear and the fantastic, In Fabric is definitely original; a woman’s life is torn apart by an ambulatory dress that she buys for a night out, and that’s not even the weirdest part. Completely enrapturing and soaked in a somber, romantic aura that adds to the fairy tale like qualities in the film, In Fabric is one that will stay with you long after you finish watching, eschewing gore and guts for something far more frightening.

THE LIGHTHOUSE

? Director: Robert Eggers | English (USA/Canada)

Is “The Lighthouse” a Horror movie? Is it a fantasy? Our answer: who cares. The Lighthouse, from director Robert Eggers, is easily one of the finest films of the decade, let alone the year, anchored by scenery annihilating performances from Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson and stunning cinematography. Tense and unyielding, this tale of two lighthouse keepers slowly going mad as a storm batters their island post not only blurs the line of fantasy and reality, it drunkenly pisses all over it. For any lover of film, this simply cannot be missed.

THE HOLE IN THE GROUND

? Director: Lee Cronin | English (Ireland) | Streaming on PRIME

A young mother living in the Irish countryside with her son suspects his increasingly disturbing behaviour is linked to a mysterious sinkhole in the forest, and fears he may not be her son at all. Another small, atmosphere rich genre film from A24, “The Hole In The Ground” quietly builds a believable sense of mystery anchored by solid performances from leads Seána Kerslake and the young  James Quinn Markey (really, is anything creepier than a ginger child?). Another one of the best Horror Films Of 2019.

LUZ

? Director: Tilman Singer | German (Germany) | Streaming on SHUDDER

Luz is a simple story executed so well you just can’t look away: a young cabdriver drags herself into the brightly lit entrance of a run-down police station. A demonic entity follows her, determined to finally be close to the woman it loves. An interrogation unlike any you’ve ever seen follows. That’s it. Not really available until 2019, we loved Tilman Singer‘s whip-smart story of possession hot-potato so much we had to include it on this best of list. Wildly inventive in its vision and sound design, Luz is a must see for any horror fan, just read our review for more.

THE PERFECTION

? Director: Richard Shepard | English (USA) | Streaming on NETFLIX

Not arriving on International Netflix until 2019, we loved the twisting, twisted tale of “The Perfection” too much not to include it on our list. A slow burn that suddenly drops the entire floor of the film out from underneath you, it’s the story of troubled musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) who seeks out Elizabeth (Logan Browning), the new star pupil of her former school, sending both musicians down a gruesome path.

Welp, thats it! Did you agree with our picks? Noticed something was missing? Absolutely HATE everything we love? Shoot us your comments or thoughts:

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With an expertly executed blend of slow burning tension and downright disgusting practical effects delivering a hard hitting, one-two punch, Stevens also manages to get genuinely compelling performances from his leads, most notably Phil Brooks, A.K.A. former pro-wrestler C.M. Punk in his film debut, his concerned wife Liz, played by Trieste Kelly Dunn, and the overly flirty new neighbour, Sarah Brooks. In a year awash with disappointing reboots and clunky blockbusters, it’s refreshing that an original, low budget genre picture like “Girl On The Third Floor” can still deliver on skill and substance over CGI effects and spotty sequel tie-ins, using it’s spare budget to maximum effect, and it’s effects for maximum impact.

Set in an abandoned home in the Chicago suburbs, most of the film follows Don (Brooks), a disgraced lawyer who’s taken on a hail-mary home renovation project to help save his precarious marriage and his fragile manhood. As we get to know Don, and Don gets to know the house … and his far-too-friendly new neighbours, he’s quickly underwater. There’s the black, pulsing hole in the wall that won’t stop growing. And there’s that other wall that starts to bleed. And the strange sounds coming from the chimney are most certainly not a squirrel.

The house’s leaks and creaks ooze in ways that would make David Cronenberg blush, and with Steven’s keen eye for framing each shot for maximum creepiness, the sickly pastel and floral colours of the house begin to sour as Don’s stress, sleep deprivation and increasingly bad decisions mount. As his wife’s arrival approaches and the house continues to decay in a “Money Pit” meets “Videodrome” spiral of surreal viscera, Don takes matters into his own hands … and with blunt force. We don’t want to give any more away than we need to, but believe us when we say that “Girl On The Third Floor’s” simple narrative doesn’t mean it’s a simple film, everything that happens in this film happens for a reason, and that reason is always in service of Don’s downward spiral.

The “never ask for directions” type, Don is simultaneously a realistic, relatable guy, and a hugely unlikable asshole who’s brought most of his problems on himself. Played with just the right amount of Bruce Campbell-esque hamminess and a seething, early middle age anger that makes him seem like a hair-trigger threat, Brooks’ keeps us fixated on Don without delivering much in the way of dialog, instead Stevens lets his interactions with the excellent supporting cast fill in the blanks, and Brooks’ background in “playing to the back of the house” during his pro-wrestling heyday gives his mostly silent performance a wide range of expression, letting us see the gears turn behind his often cold eyes.

When the film’s action does kick in, Brooks’ physical stature and skills in stunt work are used to excellent effect. He clearly knows how to use his body to deliver, and receive, some serious punishment. Similarly, we get to know Liz, the beleaguered wife, through her interactions with Don, at first via video, then in her interactions with the neighbours, as she arrives in the films third act to inspect Don’s handiwork. Played with the right amount of exasperation and commitment, Dunn offers the sobering “Yin” to Brooks’ raging “Yang”, and allows us a unique perspective on the story as she assumes the lead for the film’s third act and we see Don’s breakdown through her eyes. Where as Don solves his problems “hands on”, Liz takes a different approach, looking deeper to solve the puzzle and survive their move from hell.

As the action moves to the titular third floor, the tension boils over and the film shifts gears into a far more physical realm, as the practical effects deliver some over the top gore with an unflinching execution. And while sex permeates the film, there’s very little in the way of nudity, giving the film a slightly less schlock feel than it could have suffered in the wrong hands, while simultaneously serving to amp up the ick-factor as a fetishistic pantomime overtakes the house.

Filmed with a steady hand and a clever eye, the film feels spare in the way a sports car does: nothing unneeded clutters “Girl On The Third Floor“, and its clever narrative twists never seem unnatural or contrived. With an obvious love of the genre, Stevens makes the transition from producer to director with a strong and self assured debut, and paired with a breakout performance from Brooks’, the pair seem poised to take up the torch for a new generation of genre auteurs and actors. Easily one of the year’s best, the slow building, supremely satisfying “Girl On The The Third Floor” can’t be missed.

Check out the trailer below, it’s streaming on demand now!