All through October, I’ll be posting reviews of the best of the best films in the horror genre released since October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. As an added bonus, I’ll be adding a secondary review that may be somewhat related to the main review or slightly missed the countdown by inches. Follow along the countdown every day in October. Feel free to agree, disagree, or better yet, give me your own picks for your favorite horror movies of the year. Happy Halloween!

#25 – ABERRANCE (2023)
Released on October 6, 2023, and is available On Demand and digital download from Three Flames Pictures!
Directed by Baatar Batsukh.
Written by Baatar Batsukh, Trevor Doyle, Byambasuren Ganbat, Alexa Khan, Erdene Orosoo.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/aLL4te_HVE8
When a couple Selenge and Erkheme (played by Selenge Chadraabal and Erkhembayar Ganbat) move into a small home in the Mongolian countryside. But the couple have some strange habits, raising the interest of their nosy neighbor (played by Yalalt Namsrai). Believing abuse is going on, the neighbor attempts to save the young woman from her husband. But everything is not what it seems.

ABERRANCE is a stylistic powerhouse of a film from Baatar Batsukh. This is a film that looks like no other, adopting all sorts of camera trickery in order to tell its story. Strange camera angles, cameras attached to the actor a la Aronofsky’s PI and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, red filters, and all sorts of vivid camera movement are used to make what might be a typical story about a suspicious couple and their nosy neighbor absolutely unique. From a filmmaking point of view, ABERRANCE is something I haven’t experienced before, and I loved every exciting minute of it.

There is a mystery going on and it turns out it is quite complicated. Not everything is what it seems and there are elements of the story that certain players know nothing about. There’s also a conspiracy afoot and all kinds of deceptions, betrayals, and lies going on. So, ABERRANCE gets a little overly complex to the point of losing those who might not be paying close attention all the way through. ABERRANCE takes a few too many twists and turns in the final act for my tastes.

But the performances make up for it. Specifically, the stunning Selenge Chadraabal as the woman in peril who has an enchanting and mystifying presence throughout the entire movie. She has a strangeness about her and paired with the mystery surrounding the actress, it makes the movie difficult to turn away from. Yalalt Namsrai delivers a wonderful physically demanding turn as the neighbor whose actions are sometimes comic and sometimes laced with drama. And Erkhembayar Ganbat is commanding as the husband, keeping things ambiguous and forcing you to doubt whether he can be trusted or not.

ABERRANCE is filled with nightmarish imagery, strange occurrences, and utter mystery. It’s a film that never lets you get settled in too long with what you think you believe, delivering a tension laced whirlwind of a thriller where no one is safe. But out of all of it, the unusual and creative way Baatar Batsukh uses his camera is the true highlight of this small, but potent film from Mongolia.

Plus – COLD MEAT (2023)
Released on February 23, 2024, and is streaming on Amazon Prime from Level 33 Entertainment!
Directed by Sébastien Drouin.
Written by Sébastien Drouin, Andrew Desmond, James Kermack.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/891625259
David (DOWNTON ABBEY’s Allen Leech) encounters waitress Ana (Nina Bergman) one lonely and cold night at truck stop. When David stands up to Ana’s abusive boyfriend Vincent (Yan Tual), Ana is appreciative. Later, as David drives down the snowy highway, he is pursued by Vincent, resulting in a car crash where David runs his car into a snow bank. Thus begins an arduous story of survival against the elements and possibly the legendary Wendigo itself.

COLD MEAT is a surprisingly good film as it keeps much of its secrets close to its vest right up until it almost hurts not to know them. The way the three of these players interact takes many forms throughout the story. Predator, prey, savior, and survivor. David, Ana, and Vincent play all of these roles by the end of the story. Like another film I recently reviewed, THE GIRL IN THE TRUNK, COLD MEAT is a film that basically takes place in one single location, a car, for the entirety of the film. But unlike THE GIRL IN THE TRUNK, COLD MEAT is able to maintain my investment all the way through, packing every minute with tense interactions and heightened suspense.

The acting is top tier here. Both Allen Leech and Nina Bergman are fantastic actors and seeing them riff off of one another is the highlight of the movie as they both become trapped in this car with no help in sight. The solitude and pressures wear on the two trapped within the vehicle as the temperature drops and the hopes of rescue diminish, pitting both man versus woman, but also both versus the elements. Seeing these two agree and disagree to work together is a wonderful rollercoaster to ride.

On top of all of this, there’s a supernatural element of the wendigo that lingers in the air that seems to be drawn to those facing sheer desperation. COLD MEAT ends up just shy of being a creature feature as the legend of the wendigo feels more of a metaphorical threat. All of it comes together rather simply and beautifully by the end, making COLD MEAT a great example of how to make a one location film right, filling it with knuckle-whitening tension, amazing wordplay between the characters, and an ever-present lingering danger inside and outside of the car. I recommend this low fi, but high stakes thriller.

The Best in Horror Countdown 2023-2024
#31 – HERE FOR BLOOD (DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS)
#30 – THANKSGIVING (THE SACRIFICE GAME)
#29 – MILK & SERIAL (LOWLIFES)
#28 – PROJECT SILENCE (FROGMAN)
#27 – THE SEEDING (DARK HARVEST)
#26 – BEEZEL (THE FRESH HELL TRILOGY)
#25 – ABERRANCE (COLD MEAT)