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!

#24 – OUT OF DARKNESS (aka THE ORIGIN, 2022)
Released on February 9, 2024, and is streaming on Paramount Plus from Bleeker Street and Stage 6 Films!
Directed by Andrew Cumming.
Written by Ruth Greenberg, Andrew Cumming, Oliver Kassman.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/sU_SQo1wbos
A group of primitive men and women split from a larger tribe to discover a new land in hopes to find a new home to live. As they traverse the harsh landscape, the group arrives at the edge of a large forest finding signs of life. But when night falls, something seems to be stalking the group, picking them off one by one in the darkness.

There really hasn’t been a lot of caveman style films and even less caveman films that lean heavily into the realm of horror. CAVEMAN was absurdist fun. I remember watching it over and over again on cable as a kid. There’s the Timothy Hutton drama ICEMAN where a prehistoric man is brought back to life in the modern world. There were goofier takes like ENCINO MAN and YEAR ONE which were pretty forgettable and ONE MILLION B.C., EEEEGAH!, the PEOPLE THAT TIME FORGOT, and a few other classic creature features were hokey horror fun. But for a long while, QUEST FOR FIRE, the beginning of 2001 A SPACE ODDYSSEY and maybe CLAN OF THE CAVE BEAR seemed to be the most realistic and authentic take on prehistoric man we were going to get. Until OUT OF DARKNESS, that is, as this is one of the best depictions of our prehistoric ancestors I’ve ever seen.

OUT OF DARKNESS is a film that simply feels epic in scope. An entire language was created for the group to speak. This is no mere monkey-like ooks and akks that we heard in QUEST FOR FIRE or the comedic grunts of CAVEMAN. Everything from the clothing the group wears to the language they speak feel authentic. There seems to have been an amazing amount of research to bring to life the harsh and desperate life of what we call cavemen. Filmed in Scotland, the film feels like it was made in an untouched, barren and alien landscape. This is not a life anyone would want to lead. Filmmaker Andrew Cumming highlights the cold and unglamorous conditions this tribe has to endure with one single driving goal, survive. OUT OF DARKNESS conveys this theme of survival above all else from the first to last minute. The film takes its time to get into the story itself, instead allowing the viewer to get to know the struggle the group has to go through to survive a single day in this horrible landscape by taking the viewer through a typical day or two in the life of these people before the horror happens.

In the opening half hour, OUT OF DARKNESS makes us privy to all of the complex relationships going on in the group. And while there are subtitles translating the words this makeshift family speak to one another, much of the relationships between the characters come from the silent moments, subtle looks, and bold actions made when the sun goes down and the group is most vulnerable. There is definitely a hierarchy in this group, but when the group is challenged, it is clear that all of them must be tough and be able to fend for themselves in order to keep the bloodline alive. OUT OF DARKNESS achieves so much in these opening moments and this film should be studied at how to communicate story details in creative, non-verbal ways. Most films bog the momentum down with discourse, but OUT OF DARKNESS doesn’t have that luxury, but fills in the blanks through gestures, stories told by the fire, and silent interaction.

If you’re looking for something to get mad at, there are themes of feminism throughout OUT OF DARKNESS that will test some’s patience. Having written THE JUNGLE BOOK comic book which gender-swapped Mowgli long before it became a trend, I didn’t see any problem in OUT OF DARKNESS’ depiction of its female tribesmen. It’s kill or be killed, and these women can’t afford to be frail or weak. The tribe relies on them as much as the males to keep everyone safe. Plus, the old adage, “the female of the species is more deadly than the male” is said for a reason. Still, I know of some who will get all assed up about it. Because this is such a primitive environment, it’s much more believable that these primitive women would be able to kick ass and they do here. The reason some of the tribe survive and others don’t feels more random and natural than some kind of feminist message.

The performance from the cast is top tier from actors who might be unknowns, but will most likely be notables in the future. Chuku Modu as Adem is unforgiving with his alpha male status of the tribe, a status necessary in this relentless environment. While this role is often seen as toxic in this modern and sensitive age, the film goes out of its way to show that without his lead, the whole group would not make it. On the opposite end is Gierr (played by Kit Young) the subservient beta male, who follows his brother Adem religiously, but lacks what it takes to lead. While I kind of loathed this character, I have to give the actor credit that he does play a very weak man well. But the true standout of the film is Safia Oakley-Green as the Stray named Beyah, who steps up when things go from bad to worse. Oakley-Green is easy to root for as she plays her role with a vibrancy that outshines the desperation enveloping this tribe. Seeing these three characters work together and clash is the central conflict of the story and is fascinating to see play out.

If there is something to point out in terms of criticism, it’s that once the predators stalking the tribe is revealed, I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed. Now, the quote unquote monsters do serve to support a very strong lesson learned by the survivors at the end of the movie. But I did feel that with the identity of the threat in the darkness built up to be such a big secret, once I knew it, I was a little let down. Again, thematically, it works and makes the film much more of a moral exercise than a horror film, so I understand why they went with it though.

Director Andrew Cumming, along with his co-writers, Ruth Greenberg and Oliver Kassman create a world that feels real, dangerous, authentic, and something I would never want to live in, but nevertheless, I was fascinated and couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen. OUT OF DARKNESS is a film able to convey a feeling of primal terror of what is out there in the darkness just waiting to pounce and end you. It relies on amping this terror up for most of the film and while the revelation of what it was does not live up to the monsters in our imagination, it still ends with an emotional and moral power punch to the gut. OUT OF DARKNESS presents a new and exciting world with interesting characters then places them in the direst of situations and never lets up. Setting OUT OF DARKNESS in pre-historic times sets it apart from the herd, but still, it couldn’t be more of a soulful tale as it tells both a complex and simple tell of survival and humanity all at once.

Plus – ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH (2023)
Released on April 12, 2024, and is available streaming on Shudder from XYZ Films!
Directed/Written by Paul Duane.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/30iDkjH6UqA
A young couple, Anna and Aleks (Simone Collins and Charlie Maher) are music geeks for ancient music, looking for forgotten and rare songs from long dead cultures. They attend a weekly group of like-minded music appreciators lead by afficionado Agnes (Catherine Siggins). When Anna and Aleks get wind of a truly unique forgotten song, they are steered toward the home of Rita (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE’s Olwen Fouéré). Stone cold drunk, Rita agrees to sing the long-forgotten song, which sets forth a series of strange events and affects Anna, Aleks, and Agnes is different and horrifying ways.

ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH is a film that feels like a puzzle that has a few pieces missing. All the way through, from the short hand, comfortable speak between Anna and Aleks to what is actually happening when the song is heard for the first time. It feels like writer/director Paul Duane has a cohesive and expansive story he wants to talk about the fragility of relationships, the exploitation of tradition, and horrors of the past that sometimes are buried and forgotten for a reason. But for some reason, it just doesn’t completely translate in the film that played out in front of me. Watching the movie occasionally felt as if it were being told in a foreign language, though it is clearly English these people are speaking.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t like what I was seeing with ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH. It is an extremely atmospheric film, filled from start to finish with a score and soundtrack made of tribal music and pained moans and groans. It makes every second feel heavy and aged. The film was made in Dublin and it soaks up much of the small town atmosphere of the Irish countryside. This is a dank and dark movie that feels like it is taking place only along dimly lit streets and inside homes and warehouses rotted from the inside. This definitely looks, sounds and feels like a good horror film.

And while I don’t exactly understand what exactly is going on, there is some imagery that is truly nightmarish. There are creeping shadows, gaunt monsters, ancient druids, and a final monster that…well, it just needs to be seen to be believed. There are so many well-paced scenes of dread and terror that it makes up for the ambiguity of it all.

The acting also helps. While I already mentioned the comfort the two leads convey and how that might have taken away from the story, it’s undeniable that this is a very talented cast. I could watch lead Simone Collins all day. The actress is enchanting, has a great singing voice, and really strikes a presence in this movie. The other standout is Olwen Fouéré who is always a unique factor in the cast. Though her role is small, the moments she was in the film standout as some of the most important and her powerful performance impacts the story immensely. I’m glad to see this actress get more roles as she is something special.

So yes, this film looks good. It’s got strange and terrifying imagery I haven’t seen before. Its cast is immensely popular and there’s a strong look, feel, and especially sound to ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH. Still, throughout, I was left with burning questions as to what the hell was happening? Why the hell is that character talking that way? Who the hell is this guy who shows up and then disappears for the rest of the movie? Why the hell is that guy castrated? Why did that character do that thing? And what the hell is going on? There’s an amazing movie in ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH and if you don’t mind those questions, then you might want to take a chance with this truly perplexing, but thoroughly unique and fascinating movie.

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)
#24 – OUT OF DARKNESS (ALL YOU NEED IS DEATH)

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Music Written by Tim Heidecker
Music & Arrangement by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy https://youtu.be/PDySbxQgZMg
(I do not own this music)