March 8th, 2023 — Cambridge, MA – Attention New England cinephiles: Spring festival season is nigh as the 23nd annual Boston Underground Film Festival returns to Harvard Square’s arthouse hub The Brattle Theatre with five days of vanguard cinemania from March 22nd through the 26th. This year’s lineup is stacked with fearsome folk horror, mendacious miscreants, harrowing horrors and hero/es/ines, godless god-complexes, eco-thrillers and chillers, sensational sci-fi, and all manner of midnight madness.

The Unheard | Courtesy of Shudder

BUFF is beyond honored to host the World Premiere of Jeffrey A. Brown’s haunting, Massachusetts-based horror thriller The Unheard for a homecoming heroes’ welcome on Opening Night. Starring Lachlan Watson (Chucky, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), The Unheard follows a deaf young woman ensconced in a signal-to-noise mystery of dueling senses, realities, truths, identities, and possibly worlds. Brown (2019’s The Beach House) and local screenwriting legends Michael and Shawn Rassmussen (2019’s Crawl) will be in attendance for a post-screening conversation.

Divinity / Courtesy of Utopia

Fresh off its world premiere at Sundance, we are thrilled to bring the East Coast Premiere of Eddie Alcazar’s retro-sci-fi, singularly WTF masterpiece Divinity to the cineastes with different tastes at BUFF. Starring Stephen Dorff, Scott Bakula, Bella Thorne, and produced by Steven Soderbergh, this deranged, drug-addled, dystopian vision, where beauty and grotesquery abound, is 100% uncompromising underground cinema.

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster / Courtesy of RLJE

On the heels of its SXSW debut, writer/director Bomani J. Story’s The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster lands at BUFF for its East Coast Premiere. Teen science genius Vicaria (The Equalizer’s Laya DeLeon Hayes) plays god when she embarks on a quest to find the cure for death, a disease, she theorizes, versus an inevitability, whose destructive path of substance abuse, brutality, and violence has rended itself through her family and community. Breathing new life into Frankenstein’s monster, Story’s electric feature debut challenges conceptions of mortality and monstrosity through a Black lens. BUFF is proud to present a double-dose of international folk horror starting with the East Coast Premiere of Tereza Nvotová’s nightmarish Nightsiren, which examines the chokehold grip of toxic patriarchal structures on a remote Slovakian village, where the pervasive fingers of superstition point to witches when two women dare to defy and disrupt the unnatural order. Then we’ll host the New England Premiere of sumptuous cinematic stunner Enys Men, which follows the sole inhabitant of a craggy Cornish island’s descent into madness. Set in the early 70s, British auteur Mark Jenkin returns to his coastal stomping grounds following The Volunteer (Mary Woodvine), a meticulous cataloger studying the growth cycles of rare wildflowers, whose increasingly terrifying experiences lead her to suspect that her surroundings are both sentient and sinister.

How to Blow Up a Pipeline / Courtesy of NEON

Confronting environmental horrors in a completely different way, Daniel Goldhaber’s high-stakes, heist-style thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline centers on a crew of young environmental activists and their mission to sabotage a Texas pipeline. With a dynamo ensemble cast—including Ariela Barer (Runaways), Lukas Gage (Euphoria), Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant), and Marcus Scribner (Black-ish)—How to Blow Up a Pipeline is a subversive and timely clarion to face the climate crisis. Never lacking in pure absurdity, BUFF is delighted to present the New England Premiere of Quentin Dupieux’s French dark comedy/quasi-horror anthology/superhero sendup Smoking Causes Coughing, where candy-colored, lo-fi heroes (ala Power Rangers, but called the Tobacco Force) battle giant diabolical turtles and regale one another with lakeside scary stories on a bizarre team-building retreat. Next, we’ll be screening the New England Premiere of Kristoffer Borgli’s Scandinavian unromantic comedy Sick of Myself, which takes toxic relationships to the next level when narcissistic Signe attempts to derail her equally self-absorbed partner’s art career by way of Munchausenian extremes that are as cringe as they are unadmittedly relatable. Delving into the real-life horrors of a uniquely toxic individual, Kiwi journalist David Farrier sets his lens on multi-hyphenate scammer Michael Organ, an extortionary, mercenary antique shop parking lot enforcer with a wild history of false identities and insane lawsuits at the center of stranger-than-fiction doc Mister Organ. DIY documentarian Ryan Worsley takes a deep dive into the history of culture jamming, plunderphonic prophets Negativland, crafting an experimental piece of media about media-about-media as unique and provocative as the band with her latest, Stand By for Failure: A Documentary About Negativland. For something beautifully weird and otherworldly, BUFF presents the New England Premiere of Berlin-based visual artist Ann Oren’s sensuous debut Piaffe, which follows the story of Eva (The Untamed’s Simone Bucio), an introvert thrust into the role of foley artist to cover for her institutionalized sibling; when a horse’s tail starts growing from her body, she discovers the joys of foreplay…and horseplay. Equally allegorical and hypnotizing is Ryan Stevens Harris’ incredibly gorgeous Moon Garden, which follows a comatose child on a dark Gilliamesque odyssey back to consciousness.  BUFF’s 2023 program teems with themes of families in crisis (zeitgeist much?). Kirby McClure’s atmospheric debut Spaghetti Junction, which deftly blends elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and social realism in this tale of a Southern family grappling with life after a devastating loss, is a sterling example; BUFF is excited to host the film’s East Coast Premiere with McClure in attendance for a post-screening discussion. To close out the festival, BUFF is ecstatic to screen the New England Premiere of Belgian directing duo Adil & Bilall’s unforgettable, genre-smashing Rebel. Known for Bad Boys for Life and the recently shelved Batgirl, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s deeply personal, poignant, and bold melange of action, drama, and musical centers around a Muslim family caught in the crosshairs of jihadist radicalism. No description can truly encapsulate the mindblowing beauty and power of this modern masterpiece. A cinematic experience like no other.

Rebel / Courtesy of Wild Bunch

We’ll also have our usual veritable bounty of shorts programming, celebrating the finest animation, transgressive horror, comedy, homegrown horror, and genre-inspired music videos.   A limited number of festival badges are available for purchase on the Brattle Theatre’s site. Tickets will be on sale at www.brattlefilm.org and www.bostonunderground.org Badgeholders will be able to make screening selections starting Friday March 10th, before tickets are released to the General Public on Monday March 13.

BOSTON UNDERGROUND 2023 FEATURES LINEUP THE UNHEARD – World Premiere / Opening Night Film Jeffrey A. Brown | USA | 2023 In this haunting Massachusetts-set thriller, 20-year-old Chloe Grayden (Lachlan Watson – Chucky, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) begins to suffer from auditory hallucinations following an experimental procedure to restore her damaged hearing. Seemingly related to the mysterious disappearance of her mother, Chloe’s grasp on reality will rely on discerning between signal and noise. Director Jeffrey A. Brown and writers Shawn and Michael Rassmussen will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A!

NIGHTSIREN – East Coast Premiere Tereza Nvotová | Slovakia, Czech Republic | 2022 A young woman returns to her native mountain village searching for answers about her troubled childhood, but as she tries to uncover the truth, ancient superstitions lead the villagers to accuse her of witchcraft and murder.

SPAGHETTI JUNCTION – East Coast Premiere Kirby McClure | USA | 2022 August, a recently disabled Southern teen, sees a flash in the sky and begins having strange dreams that beckon her to a cave in the woods. There she encounters a mysterious injured young man called “The Traveler” who needs her help.

ENYS MEN – New England Premiere Mark Jenkin | UK | 2022 Set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast, a wildlife volunteer’s daily observations of a rare flower turn into a metaphysical journey that forces her as well as the viewer to question what is real and what is nightmare. DIVINITY – East Coast Premiere Eddie Alcazar | USA | 2023 In another time, in another place, scientist Sterling Pierce (Scott Bakula) dedicated his career to searching for the answer to eternal life, over time creating a substance known as “Divinity.” Now Jaxxon Pierce (Stephen Dorff) controls and manufactures his father’s once-benevolent serum… Society on this barren planet has been entirely perverted by the supremacy of the drug, whose true origins are shrouded in mystery. When two mysterious brothers arrive with a plan to abduct the mogul, and with the help of a seductress named Nikita, they will be set on a path hurtling toward true immortality. Featuring Bella Thorne and executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, Divinity defies description and demands your attention. HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE – New England Premiere Daniel Goldhaber | USA | 2022 A crew of environmental activists plot a daring plan to disrupt an oil pipeline.

MISTER ORGAN – New England Premiere David Farrier | New Zealand | 2022 Journalist David Farrier is drawn into a game of cat and mouse with a mysterious individual. Delving deeper he unearths a trail of court cases, royal bloodlines and ruined lives, in this true story of psychological warfare.

MOON GARDEN – Massachusetts Premiere Ryan Stevens Harris | USA | 2022 A comatose five-year-old girl journeys through an industrial wonderland to find her way back to consciousness.

PIAFFE – New England Premiere Ann Oren | Germany | 2022 When her sibling Zara suffers a nervous breakdown, introverted Eva is forced to take on Zara’s job as a foley artist. Suddenly, a horsetail starts growing out of her body.

SICK OF MYSELF – New England Premiere  Kristoffer Borgli | Norway, Sweden | 2022 Increasingly overshadowed by her boyfriend’s recent rise to fame as a contemporary artist creating sculptures from stolen furniture, Signe hatches a vicious plan to reclaim her rightfully deserved attention within the milieu of Oslo’s cultural elite.

SMOKING CAUSES COUGHING – Massachusetts Premiere Quentin Dupieux | France | 2022 A group of vigilantes called the “tobacco-forces” is falling apart. To rebuild team spirit, their leader suggests that they meet for a week-long retreat, before returning to save the world. THE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER – East Coast Premiere Bomani J. Story | USA | 2023 Brilliant teen scientist Vicaria (The Equalizer’s Laya DeLeon Hayes) theorizes that death is a curable disease and embarks on a dangerous journey to bring back her recently murdered brother.

STAND BY FOR FAILURE: A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT NEGATIVLAND – New England Premiere Ryan Worsley | USA | 2022 Documentarian RyanWorsley explores cut-and-paste sonic social critics / sound collagists / pranksters Negativland, who have held a mirror up to media and culture and defied copyright laws from the fringes for the last 40+ years. REBEL – New England Premiere / Closing Night Film Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah | Belgium, Luxembourg, France | 2022 When Kamal resolves to change his life for the better, he leaves Belgium to help war victims in Syria. But, having arrived, he is forced to join a militia and is left stranded in Raqqa. Back home, his younger brother Nassim quickly becomes easy prey for radical recruiters, who promise to reunite him with Kamal. Their mother, Leila, fights to protect the only thing she has left: her youngest son. Filmmakers Adil & Bilall (Bad Boys For Life, and the recent, infamously shelved Batgirl) deliver an immensely powerful and nuanced portrayal of a family torn apart over a little Muslim boy’s future that epitomizes a transformative cinematic experience.

With pandemic restrictions being lifted, we saw 53 movies in a theatrical setting this year, along with 188 others on physical media or through streaming services. Overall, it was another solid year for filmmaking even though we found many of the hyped films to be underwhelming.

While many veteran filmmakers made our top 10 list, we had three feature film debuts this year with The Power, Censor and Saint Maud. This is the most we’ve ever had on our year-ending list. It should be noted that all of these films were directed by women who blew us away with their direction behind the camera. We cannot wait to see what’s next from Corinna Faith, Prano Bailey-Bond and Rose Glass.   

As with any list, we have not viewed every film released in 2021, but these were the 10 that stood out above the rest. Like last year, we are only including each film’s synopsis. We hate spoilers and trailers that give everything away. We firmly believe not knowing too much is the best way to view most of these great films.

Disclaimer: This list is based on films we’ve seen as of Dec. 31, 2021. It could be adjusted in the future as we view other films from 2021 in early 2022.

1. Last Night In Soho (directed by Edgar Wright)

SYNOPOSIS: A young girl, passionate about fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it seems, and time seems to be falling apart with shady consequences.

2. Come True (directed by Anthony Scott Burns)

SYNOPOSIS: Looking for an escape from her recurring nightmares, 18-year-old Sarah submits to a university sleep study, but soon realizes she’s become the conduit to a frightening new discovery. 

3. Nightmare Alley (directed by Guillermo del Toro)

SYNOPOSIS: An ambitious young carny with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist who is even more dangerous than he is.

4. The Power (directed by Corinna Faith)

SYNOPOSIS: London, 1974. As Britain prepares for electrical blackouts to sweep across the country, trainee nurse Val arrives for her first day at the crumbling East London Royal Infirmary. With most of the patients and staff evacuated to another hospital, Val is forced to work the night shift, finding herself in a dark, near empty building. Within these walls lies a deadly secret, forcing Val to face both her own traumatic past and deepest fears. 

5. Censor (directed by Prano Bailey-Bond)

SYNOPOSIS: Film censor Enid takes pride in her meticulous work, guarding unsuspecting audiences from the deleterious effects of watching the gore-filled decapitations and eye gougings she pores over. Her sense of duty to protect is amplified by guilt over her inability to recall details of the long-ago disappearance of her sister, recently declared dead in absentia. When Enid is assigned to review a disturbing film from the archive that echoes her hazy childhood memories, she begins to unravel how this eerie work might be tied to her past.

6. Saint Maud (directed by Rose Glass)

SYNOPOSIS: Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud arrives at a plush home to care for Amanda, a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. When a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye.

7. Don’t Look Up (directed by Adam McKay)

SYNOPOSIS: Two low-level astronomers, upon discovering that a meteor will strike the Earth in six months, go on a media tour to try to warn the world but find an unreceptive and unbelieving populace. 

8. Nobody (directed by Ilya Naishuller)

SYNOPOSIS: Hutch Mansell, a suburban dad, overlooked husband, nothing neighbor — a “nobody.” When two thieves break into his home one night, Hutch’s unknown long-simmering rage is ignited and propels him on a brutal path that will uncover dark secrets he fought to leave behind.

9. Werewolves Within (directed by Josh Ruben)

SYNOPOSIS: When a proposed pipeline creates hostilities between residents of a small town, a newly-arrived forest ranger must keep the peace after a snowstorm confines the townspeople to an old lodge. But when a mysterious creature begins terrorizing the group, their worst tendencies and prejudices rise to the surface, and it is up to the ranger to keep the residents alive, both from each other and the monster which plagues them. 

10. House of Gucci (directed by Ridley Scott)

SYNOPOSIS: The true story of how Patrizia Reggiani plotted to kill her husband Maurizio Gucci, the grandson of renowned fashion designer Guccio Gucci.

Every year, I set a goal to see at least 100 films in a theatrical setting. Prior to the start of the pandemic, I saw 23 films and was well on my way to achieving my goal. However, when movie theaters were forced to close and screens went dark in mid-March, it was clear that my goal would not be met this year.

While I was fortunate that drive-ins and movie theaters reopened in a limited capacity in the region where I live during the summer, this was the first year I resorted to online streaming to see fresh content when a film wasn’t available on physical media.

As a result, I concluded the year by seeing 46 films in theatrical setting and approximately 250 more on physical media or streaming. While my year end list is always diverse from all genres, my favorite films are all horror related this year.

As with any list, I have not viewed every film released in 2020, but these were the 15 that stood out above the rest. Unlike my top 10 albums list of 2020 where I reviewed each one, I am only including the film’s synopsis below. I hate spoilers and trailers that give everything away and I firmly believe not knowing too much is the best way to view most of these gems.

For those who are interested, you can also view my favorite horror films of 2020 on our Letterboxd account. So far, we ranked our favorite 46 films. This wasn’t easy to do as every film on this list is solid from start to finish. Click HERE to view the list.

Disclaimer: This list is based on films I’ve seen as of Dec. 30, 2020. It could be adjusted in the future as I view other films from 2020 in early 2021.

1. Synchronic (Directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorehead)

SYNOPSIS: Two New Orleans paramedics’ lives are ripped apart after encountering a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects.

2. 1BR (Directed by David Marmor)

SYNOPSIS: When Sarah lucks into a sweet one-bedroom at Asilo Del Mar Apartments in Los Angeles, she think she’s hit the jackpot. It’s got plenty of space, friendly tenants, group BBQs and even a cute neighbour next door. All is not what it seems: loud noises start keeping her awake at night; her cat is missing; everyone seems to be a little too helpful and friendly, except for the weirdo, Lester. Soon, Sarah learns she didn’t choose this apartment — it chose her.

3. The Lodge (Directed by Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala)

SYNOPSIS: A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.

4. Hunter Hunter (Directed by Shawn Linden)

SYNOPSIS: Joseph and his family live in the remote wilderness as fur trappers but their tranquility starts to be threatened when they think are being hunted by the return of a rogue wolf and Joseph leaves them behind to track it.

5. Run (Directed by Aneesh Chaganty)

SYNOPSIS: Chloe, a teenager who is confined to a wheelchair, is home schooled by her mother, However, her mother’s strange behavior doesn’t go unnoticed and when Chloe pries into some private papers, she discovers a Change of Name Certificate document with her mother’s name, Diane Sherman, on it. When Chloe googles “Diane Sherman,” the internet suddenly disconnects. Chloe becomes suspicious of all that her mother does, suspecting her of something sinister. She decides to go on the run in her wheelchair in a desperate attempt to get away from her.

6. Darkness (a.k.a. Buio) (Directed by Emanuela Rossi)

SYNOPSIS: It’s the story of Stella, a young girl living with her father and two little sisters in an isolated house with bolted windows. Because of a solar explosion occurred years before, the man is the only one able to get out of the house. But his version of the truth seems to hide a huge lie.

7. Zombi Child (Directed by Bertrand Bonello)

SYNOPSIS: Haiti, 1962: A man is brought back from the dead only to be sent to the living hell of the sugarcane fields. In Paris, 55 years later, at the prestigious Légion d’honneur boarding school, a Haitian girl confesses an old family secret to a group of new friends – never imagining that this strange tale will convince a heartbroken classmate to do the unthinkable.

8. Possessor (Directed by Brandon Cronenberg)

SYNOPSIS: Tasya Vos, an elite corporate assassin, uses brain-implant technology to take control of other people’s bodies to terminate high profile targets. As she sinks deeper into her latest assignment, Vos becomes trapped inside a mind that threatens to obliterate her.

9. Anything for Jackson (Directed by Justin G. Dyck)

10. A Good Woman Is Hard To Find (Directed by Abner Pastoll)

SYNOPSIS: The recently widowed mother of two, Sarah, is desperate to know who murdered her husband in front of her young son, rendering him mute. Coerced into helping a low-life drug dealer stash narcotics stolen from the local Mr. Big, she’s forced into taking drastic action to protect her children, evolving from downtrodden submissive to take-charge vigilante.

11. Alone (Directed by John Hyams)

SYNOPSIS: A recently widowed traveler is kidnapped by a cold blooded killer, only to escape into the wilderness where she is forced to battle against the elements as her pursuer closes in on her.

12. Unhinged (Directed by Derrick Borte)

SYNOPSIS: A divorced mother honks impatiently at a deranged middle-aged stranger at a red light while running late on her way to work. His road rage escalates to horrifyingly psychotic proportions as he becomes single-mindedly determined to teach her a deadly lesson for provoking him.

13. Becky (Directed by Cary Murnion & Jonathan Miliott)

SYNOPSIS: A teenager’s weekend at a lake house with her father takes a turn for the worse when a group of convicts wreaks havoc on their lives.

14. Swallow (Directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis)

SYNOPSIS: Hunter, a newly pregnant housewife, finds herself increasingly compelled to consume dangerous objects. As her husband and his family tighten their control over her life, she must confront the dark secret behind her new obsession.

15. Host (Directed by Rob Savage)

SYNOPSIS: Six friends hire a medium to hold a séance via Zoom during lockdown — but they get far more than they bargained for as things quickly go wrong. When an evil spirit starts invading their homes, they begin to realize they might not survive the night.

Every October Limelight Magazine focuses its attention on horror films. This year, we decided to rank our favorite 31 horror movies directed by females. While Hollywood is still predominately male driven with its offerings, women are increasingly making a name for themselves in the horror genre, especially during the past decade.

Despite the critical praise and positive audience response to many of the films on this list, most of these female directors don’t have same name recognition in the genre as John Carpenter, Wes Craven, David Cronenberg, Brian DePalma, and George A. Romero or even more contemporary male directors like Mike Flanagan, Eli Roth or James Wan.

What these female filmmakers have done is tip the horror movie genre upside down by offering a different perspective for the viewer. In the stomach-churning Revenge, for instance, French director Corlalie Fargeat takes the rape-revenge formula to a whole new level with the multi-layered performance from lead actress Matilda Lutz.

As film critic Christy Lemire noted in her positive review of the movie on robertebert.com, Revenge is “intense and often excruciating to watch, but it’s also extremely satisfying as it allows us to live vicariously through a woman who delivers payback and then some to the men who viewed her as disposable. Fargeat displays a masterful balance of tone and pacing, as well as a super-stylish visual flair and a heightened ear for sound design. Revenge is shocking but not gratuitously so; surprisingly, it ends up becoming a feel-good tale of a woman enduring a series of horrific abuses and triumphantly coming into her own.”

It should be noted that we have not seen every horror movie directed by a female but we’ve definitely tried to see as many as possible. By our most recent count, we’ve seen close to 100 and this list could easily change as we view more films. However, this is what we came up with and we hope you take the time to check these films out.

1. The Babadook (2014) – Directed by Jennifer Kent

2. Raw (2017) – Julia Ducournau

3. Revenge (2018) – Coralie Fargeat

4. The Invitation (2015) – Karyn Kusama

5. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2015) – Ana Lily Amirpour

6. The Lodge (2019) – Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala

7. The Nightingale (2019) – Jennifer Kent

8. Near Dark (1987) – Kathryn Bigelow

9. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) – Lynne Ramsay

10. Pet Semetary (1989) – Mary Lambert

11. You Were Never Really Here (2018) – Lynne Ramsay

12. American Psycho (2000) – Mary Harron

13. Rust Creek (2019) – Jen McGowan

14. Prevenge (2016) – Alice Lowe

15. Goodnight Mommy (2015) – Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala

16. M.F.A. (2017) – Natalia Leite

17. Sea Fever (2019) – Neasa Hardiman

18. Honeymoon (2014) – Leigh Janiak

19. Slumber Party Massacre (1982) – Amy Holden Jones

20. In My Skin (2002) – Marina de Van

21. Rabid (2019) – Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska

22. The Ranger (2018) – Jennifer Wexler

23. Tigers Are Not Afraid (2019) – Issa Lopez

24. American Mary (2012) – Jen Soska & Sylvia Soska

25. Chained (2012) – Jennifer Lynch

26. Sorority House Massacre (1986) – Carol Frank

27. Relic (2020) – Natalie Erika James

28. Evolution (2015) – Lucile Hadzihalilovic

29. Trouble Every Day (2001) – Claire Denis

30. Jennifer’s Body (2009) – Karyn Kusama

31. Soulmate (2016) – Axelle Carolyn

It’s Oscar night 2020! Since we screened all of the films in the major categories this year, we are going to make our predictions for who will win and who should win. We also noted who should have been nominated but was snubbed by the Academy. The last time we did this was 2017 and we did surprisingly well with our predictions. However, this year was much more difficult with some categories having no clear cut winners in our opinion. For those four categories we didn’t view all of the films (Documentary-Short & Feature, Animated-Short & Feature), we didn’t make a prediction.

 BEST PICTURE

“Ford v Ferrari”

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

“Little Women”

“Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”

“Marriage Story”

“Parasite”

“1917”

Who will win? 1917

Who should win? Parasite

Who should have been nominated? Uncut Gems

 

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”

Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”

Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”

Florence Pugh, “Little Women”

Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Who will win? Laura Dern

Who should win? Kathy Bates

Who should have been nominated? Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers

 

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”

Al Pacino, “The Irishman”

Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”

Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”

Who will win? Brad Pitt

Who should win? Joe Pesci

Who should have been nominated? Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse

 

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

South Korea, “Parasite”

Spain, “Pain and Glory”

France, “Les Misérables”

North Macedonia, “Honeyland”

Poland, “Corpus Christi”

Who will win? Parasite

Who should win? Parasite

Who should have been nominated? Never Look Away

 

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)

“In the Absence”

“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”

“Life Overtakes Me”

“St. Louis Superman”

“Walk Run Cha-Cha”

We did not view any films in this category.

 

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“American Factory”

“The Edge of Democracy”

“Honeyland”

“For Sama”

“The Cave”

We did not view any films in this category.

 

ORIGINAL SONG

“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”

“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen II”

“Stand Up,” “Harriet”

“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”

Who will win? “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”

Who should win? “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again”

 

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

“I Lost My Body”

“Klaus”

“Missing Link”

“Toy Story 4”

We did not view any films in this category.

 

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Little Women”

“The Two Popes”

“Joker”

Who will win? JoJo Rabbit

Who should win? Little Women

Who should have been nominated: Mike Flanagan, Doctor Sleep

 

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Marriage Story”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“Parasite”

“Knives Out”

“1917”

Who will win? Parasite

Who should win? Parasite

 

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”

Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood”

Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”

Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”

Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

Who will win? Joaquin Phoenix

Who should win? Joaquin Phoenix

Who should have been nominated? Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems

 

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet”

Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”

Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”

Renée Zellweger, “Judy”

Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”

Who will win? Renee Zellweger

Who should win? Renee Zellweger

Who should have been nominated? Lupita Nyong’o, Us

 

DIRECTOR

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”

Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”

Sam Mendes, “1917”

Todd Phillips, “Joker”

Who will win? Sam Menders

Who should win? Bong Joon-ho

Who should have been nominated? Greta Gerwig, Little Women

 

PRODUCTION DESIGN

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“The Irishman”

“1917”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Parasite”

Who will win? 1917

Who should win? Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

 

CINEMATOGRAPHY

“1917”

“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

“The Irishman”

“Joker”

“The Lighthouse”

Who will win? 1917

Who should win? 1917

 

COSTUME DESIGN

“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

“Little Women”

“The Irishman”

“Jojo Rabbit”

“Joker”

Who will win? Little Women

Who should win? Little Women

 

SOUND EDITING

“1917”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

“Joker”

Who will win? 1917

Who should win? Ford v. Ferrari

 

SOUND MIXING

“1917”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

“Ad Astra”

“Joker”

Who will win? 1917

Who should win? Ford v. Ferrari

 

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

“Dcera (Daughter)”

“Hair Love”

“Kitbull”

“Memorable”

“Sister”

We did not view any films in this category.

 

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

“Brotherhood”

“Nefta Football Club”

“The Neighbors’ Window”

“Saria”

“A Sister”

Who will win? Brotherhood

Who should win? Saria

 

ORIGINAL SCORE

“1917,” Thomas Newman

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir

“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat

“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams

Who will win? Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir

Who should win? Joker, Hildur Guðnadóttir

Who should have been nominated? Us, Michael Abels

 

VISUAL EFFECTS

“Avengers: Endgame”

“The Lion King”

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

“The Irishman”

“1917”

Who will win? 1917

Who should win? Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

 

FILM EDITING

“The Irishman”

“Ford v Ferrari”

“Parasite”

“Joker”

“Jojo Rabbit”

Who will win? Ford v. Ferrari

Who should win? Parasite

 

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

“Bombshell”

“Joker”

“Judy”

“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”

“1917”

Who will win? Bombshell

Who should win? The Joker

Limelight Magazine viewed 77 films theatrically in 2019.  Of these films, 67 were first run, while the rest were retro screenings of horror classics such as Jaws and Halloween 2. While this decade contained some of the best films in cinematic history, 2019 had the most films that were consistently solid.  As with any list, we have not screened every film released in 2019, including Stars Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Pain and Glory and 1917. We plan to see those films at the start of the new year.

In reflecting back on the highlights of 2019, these were our top 10 favorites followed by an honorable mention list. Rather than go into detail about each film, we’re only going to list them so you can discover these movies for yourself. (Disclaimer: This list is based on films I’ve seen as of Dec. 31, 2019. It could be adjusted in the future as I view other films from 2019 in early 2020).

1. The Joker

2. Parasite

3. The Nightingale

4. Us

5. Doctor Sleep

6. The Nighshifter

7. Midsommar

8. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

9. Uncut Gems

10. Happy Death Day 2U

Honorable Mentions (11-20)

11. Freaks
12. Glass
13. Richard Jewell
14. Little Women
15. Yesterday
16. Luce
17. Climax
18. Rust Creek
19. Knives Out
20. Bombshell

 

 

2019 was another great year for horror movies, capping off what is arguably the best decade for this genre in cinematic history. While there were a number of great films that could be classified as horror based on their content, such as Jennifer Kent’s sophomore feature The Nightingale and Jen McGowan’s Rust Creek, this list will only include those classified as horror films. 18 of these films we were fortunate enough to see theatrically with an audience, while the other three we had to either watch on physical media or streaming. Please note that this is not a “best of” list like other publications have done but rather a list of our 25 personal favorites. (As we always note when creating a list like this, we haven’t seen every horror film this year but these are our favorites as of today’s posting date).

1. Us

2. Doctor Sleep

3. The Nightshifter

4. Midsommar

5. Happy Death Day 2 U

6. Climax

7. Trespassers

8. Ma

9. The Perfection

10. The Lighthouse

11. The Hole in the Ground

12. The Prodigy

13. Ready or Not

14. Pet Sematary

15. Brightburn

16. Bliss

17. Escape Room

18. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

19. Child’s Play 

20. Crawl

21. Harpoon

22. I Spit On Your Grave: Deja Vu

23. The Wind

24.  Mary

25. I Trapped the Devil

Limelight Magazine viewed 83 films theatrically in 2018. This is the most films we’ve ever seen in a theater in any given year. Of these films, 74 were first run, while the rest were retro screenings of cult or modern horror classics such as It’s Alive and Ms. 45. It’s interesting to note that we viewed more female-directed features this year than at any other time. Films such as Blockers (Kay Cannon),  Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Marielle Heller), Leave No Trace (Debra Granik), The Miseducation of Cameron Post (Desiree Akhavan), The Ranger (Jenn Wexler), Revenge (Coralie Fargeat), Mary Queen of Scots (Josie Rourke) and You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay) all had females at the helm. Unfortunately, we have not seen Karen Kusuma’s The Destroyer because it was only screened in three theaters in Los Angeles and New York before the deadline for this article.

Other film highlights this year included a return to form for director Paul Schrader with First Reformed, film legends Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood giving their best performances in years in The Old Man and the Gun and The Mule respectively, and award buzz worthy documentaries (Free Solo and Will You Be My Neighbor?).

In reflecting back on the  cinematic highlights of 2018, these were our top 10 favorites. Rather than go into detail about each film, we’re only going to list them so you can discover these movies for yourself. (Disclaimer: This list is based on films I’ve seen as of Dec. 31, 2018. It could be adjusted in the future as I view other films from 2018 in early 2019).

1. A Quiet Place

2. Revenge

3. Mandy

4. Suspiria

5. Searching

6. Sicario: Day of Saldado

7. Upgrade

8. Hereditary

9. Thelma

10. You Were Never Really Here

Honorable Mentions (11-20)

11. Overlord

12. Thoroughbreds

13. The Old Man & The Gun

14. The Mule

15. Leave No  Trace

16. First Reformed

17. Can You Ever Forgive Me?

18. Annihilation

19. Widows

20. Creed 2

 

During the month of October in 2017, Limelight Magazine counted down our favorite 31 horror movies since 2000. This year we decided to go back to the 1980’s which was the peak of the slasher film genre. While almost everyone knows the Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Child’s Play franchises, there were a number of slasher films that were released between 1980 and 1989 that have become neglected or overlooked. So, we decided to go through our extensive DVD and Blu-ray collection and feature a slasher film from this time period that we don’t hear a lot about anymore. While not all of these are great films, they are worth checking out if you are a fan of this horror sub genre.

It should be noted that we are referencing one obscure slasher movie per day alphabetically during October. We are only featuring those films we actually own. There are three letters of the alphabet  (Q, Y & Z) where we don’t own a film title to match that letter. Please check back daily for the next featured film.

A – ALONE IN THE DARK (1982)

B – BLOODY BIRTHDAY (1981)

C – CHEERLEADER CAMP (1988)

D – DON’T GO IN THE HOUSE (1980)

E – EDGE OF THE AXE (1988)

F – FINAL EXAM (1981)

G – GRADUATION DAY (1981)

H  – HIDE AND GO SHRIEK (1988)

I – INTRUDER (1989)

J – JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981)

K – KILLER PARTY (1986)

L – THE LAST HORROR FILM (1982)

M – MOUNTAINTOP MOTEL MASSACRE (1983)

N – NIGHT SCHOOL (1981)

O – OFFERINGS (1989)

P –  THE PROWLER (1981)

R- RETURN TO HORROR HIGH (1987)

S – SILENT SCREAM (1980)

T – TERROR TRAIN (1980)

U – THE UNSEEN (1980)

V – VISITING HOURS (1982)

W – WELCOME TO SPRING BREAK (1988)

X  – X-RAY (1981)