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!

#2 – STRANGE DARLING (2023)
Released on August 23, 2024, and is available On Demand from Miramax!
Directed/Written by JT Mollner.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/YC9J-0VNAIk
The best way to go into STRANGE DARLING is blind. Don’t watch the trailer, although it does a good job of telling you pretty much nothing about the plot or give away some of the amazing twists and turns this film takes. Don’t talk to those who have seen it. Don’t scour online to find the plot and spoilers. STRANGE DARLING is a film best experienced in the theater, so right now, at the start of this review, I’m just going to say, STRANGE DARLING is one of the best films you’re going to see this year and you need to see it, so rush right out and check it out in theaters if you can…
Don’t just sit there, go!

I’ll wait…

OK, you’re back, wasn’t that an amazing film?

Still, I won’t reveal anything about this film other than that it is broken up into six chapters and an epilogue and it involves a serial killer. Other than that, you’re not going to get any details about the story of the twists from me.

Still, I want to talk about a few things, starting with asking the question, is this a horror movie? Well, it calls itself a thriller but knowing that many stray away from calling a film horror because of the stigma often attached to the genre. Thriller sounds somewhat more distinguished, I guess. Still, the film is about a serial killer. It’s gory as hell with all sorts of horrible people doing horrible things to one another and spurting the red stuff in all directions. It’s violent as all get out and feels like a movie out of this modern era where things are careful and safe. This film is anything but safe. And it involves a lot of sex and all kinds of perversity surrounding it. Serial killer, gore, violence, sex, and maybe, just maybe a whiff of Sasquatch. Sounds like a fucking horror movie to me. So, while I am willing to debate as to whether or not this film qualifies as horror, I’m going to go ahead and give it that label.

Whatever genre it falls into, STRANGE DARLING is an engrossing watch. Actor Giovani Ribisi, you know him. Best known for THE OTHER SISTER, right? Who knew the guy had such an amazing eye as he plays the role of Director of Photography (and Producer) of STRANGE DARLING. This film is vivid and exciting from the first to last frame. The action scenes are intense and stylized. And the quiet moments are engrossing with overwhelming shades of red and blue. This is a film those who study film will watch over and over, just to understand how the camera acts as a way to intensify every action is captures, static or moving.

On top of that, the sound design is absolutely fantastic. It’s bombastic. This is a film that needs to be played loud, as the bursts of sound and off kilter noises are just as shocking as the action unfolding on screen. On top of that, this is one of those films with a soundtrack to take note of. I can’t wait to add it to my Spotify playlist.

But it is the stars of STRANGE DARLING that makes this one of the best movie experiences you’re going to have this year. Yes, there is tons of gore and action and perversity and all of that, but at it’s twisted, black heart, STRANGE DARLING is a romance. It’s a dark, dank romance, but still, it’s the chemistry between Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald is a potent mixture indeed. The scenes the two share are electrified as the script they are following is pointed and barbed. But it’s these two powerhouse actors that sell it so well. Gallner has been in too many genre films to mention. I remember meeting him on the set of the NIGHTMARE OF ELM STREET remake many moons ago. Oh, how far he’s come. Gallner as an intensity. He’s a pan about to boil over, full of frustration and tension, but also unafraid to show a tender, softer side. He commands every scene he is in and I can see this film opening a lot of new doors for him.

And wow, Willa Fitzgerald. I remember noticing her as the svelte temptress in Flanagan’s THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, but nothing is going to prepare you for what she delivers in STRANGE DARLING. Just like Gallner, she is mesmerizing every second she is on screen. What she goes through and how she reflects it in her face would floor any normal actress. She gives such a powerful physical performance here and by the end, you’ve seen her go through the gamut of emotions in ways I’ve never seen before.
Director/Writer JT Mollner really hasn’t done much before. He’s directed a few small budget films, and if they are anything like STRANGE DARLING, I can’t wait to see them too. Mollner constructs a true puzzle of a movie that fits together so well, highlighting some things and omitting other details, and revealing them like wrapped presents on Christmas morning. Watching STRANGE DARLING took me back to the nineties when I feel was the last time movies were dangerous and raw. This one harkens back to those indie filled nineties and the grindhousey 70’s, where you couldn’t predict films and they defied convention, genre restraints, and any rules set against it. I can’t wait to see STRANGE DARLING again and I hope you heed my advice to see it for yourself. You can thank me later, but I’ll just end this slobbering, slathering review with “You’re welcome.” And leave it at that.

Plus – SASQUATCH SUNSET (2024)
Released on April 19, 2024, and available On Demand from Bleecher Street!
Directed by David Zellner, Nathan Zellner.
Written by David Zellner.
Trailer: https://youtu.be/KgfkthLpeXw
Four Sasquatch or Sasquatches, I really should know which is the proper term, make their way across the Pacific Northwest throughout the course of one year. The film captures the good times and the bad of this makeshift family as they search for others of their kind and tiptoe along the edge of human civilization.

OK, first and foremost, this is not a horror movie. There is one scene of blood and guts and quite a few instances of grossout bodily fluid usage in one form or another, but there really aren’t any moments to really categorize SASQUATCH SUNSET as a horror film. That said, it is an amazing genre movie, taking a cryptid that may or may not exist, and follow them around for an entire year as if this were a nature documentary sans narration. That’s right, there is absolutely not one line of dialog, so this film feels most like neanderthal movies like QUEST FOR FIRE, CAVEMAN, and more recently, OUT OF DARKNESS, the difference being that SASQUATCH SUNSET follows a group of modern-day cryptids who simply communicate in grunts and hoots.

What makes SASQUATCH SUNSET so special is that it views the world through mostly gentle and innocent eyes. This is a goofy ass concept, especially since it is being played out by experienced actors like Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough playing two of the main Sasquatches, along with director Nathan Zellner and the short-statured Christophe Zajac-Denek. While no lines are spoken, all four actors are able to convey distinct personalities. But despite some minor challenges for who is the more dominant of the group, it is the sense that these are creatures that teeter between human and animal that makes such a fascinating thing to watch. They seem to be at one with nature, showing some advanced understanding of humanity in its simplest form and a curiosity that is often quite adorable and sometimes very dangerous.
If anything, SASQUATCH SUNSET perfectly displays how these beasts are a true enigma. Somewhat human, yet very much a part of nature. I loved the quiet scenes after moments of aggression or despair, where the Sasquatches seem to take comfort in interacting with smaller animals of the forest. Eisenberg’s character seems to be the most curious of the bunch, attempting to learn to count, making him somewhat of the expansive thinker of the bunch—the scientist of the group, in its most rudimentary form. Keough is the sole female and with two of the three of the group’s primal motivation being eating and mating, her role is central to the story. Two of the Sasquatches see her as a mate, with the smaller one, possibly being one of her children, Keough plays a motherly role to him. Again, without a word, Keough is able to convey and amazing array of emotions, highlighting how great of an actress she is.

That leaves the bigger Sasquatch (played by co-director Nathan Zellner) and the smaller one (played by Christophe Zajac-Denek) to play as comic relief. The big one being the more aggressive and impulsive one, getting the group into trouble more than anything. And the smaller one being the playful and most noble of the group. The fun is not only seeing the Sasquatches survive through the year, but how these various personalities bump into each other along the way.

But like most nature documentaries, tragedy is an ever-present but important part of it all. After you get to know these giants for the gentle and innocent beings that they are, SASQUATCH SUNSET breaks your heart with a comedic and absurd scene early in the film. It’s the deep sadness the rest of the Sasquatches feel that really hits you. It’s in this tragedy that you really see the heartbreaking truth that permeates almost every scene later. Earlier I talked about the three primary motivations of the Sasquatches, yet only named two. The third seems to be the most important of all; the determination to find more of their kind. It’s evident from the beginning that while these creatures are at one with nature, there are very few of them. And while it may be amusing to see the Sasquatches knock sticks against the trees in tandem, it is horribly depressing that they never hear a response to those knocks. As they roam the countryside, seeing the Sasquatches triumph and fail, you understand that this is a species slowly growing extinct. And the cause of this extinction are the human emotions and primal, yet intelligent instincts that exist deep inside of them. Right up to the abrupt, but poetic ending, this sad point is driven home.

The Sasquatch costumes are some of the best practical fur suits you’re going to see on screen. Though heavily made-up, the facial appliances are especially good because though they change the faces of the actors, they are still able to emote a ton of different feelings. This is no simple fur costume either, as the hair moves evenly with the different joints and folds of the body. This is some of the best Bigfoot makeup put to film, but still, these are just actors in suits. And that’s where my criticism of this film lays.

You see, while Sasquatch may be shaped like a human, if you’ve watched as many bigfoot channels as I have on the YouTubes, you know they are not shaped like humans. This is why so many so-called authentic Bigfoot photos and grainy clips captured are so easily debunked. If you’re a fan of the Thinker Thunker YouTube channel, you know that the proportions of man and what seems to be Sasquatch (mostly derived from the Patterson-Gimlin footage) are very different. Many reports indicate the cryptid to have arms longer than a human that reach below the knees, broad shoulders, and no neck, forcing the monster to turn its whole body rather than its head. The Bigfoot costumes in SASQUATCH SUNSET are wonderfully textured and the actors try their best to slump over, but if seen in the wild, they would still be seen as actors in fur suits. Their necks are loose and mobile. Short of complete CGI, I fear it is almost impossible to drop that man in a monkey suit look.

And while some of the consistent Bigfoot behaviors are addressed in SASQUATCH SUNSET like wood knocks, tree formations, and vocalizations, other common traits are ignored. Most prominent of them being that Sasquatch is said to be a very nocturnal animal with animalistic eyes that flare in the nighttime. And while I’m sure flaring animal eyes are not going to be in the budget and might take away from the need to have the Sasquatches emote and neither was a night shoot, I still think this nighttime behavior is something that isn’t really addressed in the movie.

What is addressed is how the Sasquatch use all bodily fluids as weapons of defense and expression of confusion, frustration, and dominance. One of the best scenes of the film occurs when the group encounters a man-made road made of concrete. Its best left seen to be believed. The group’s reaction to it is primal, gross, and absolutely hilarious. There are numerous scenes that might churn the stomachs of some but tickled me to no end.

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)
#23 – ARCADIAN (A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE)
#22 – YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME (GHOSTS OF THE VOID)
#21 – NEVER LET GO (LOVELY, DARK, & DEEP)
#20 – ABIGAIL (BLACKOUT)
#19 – SPEAK NO EVIL (EIGHT EYES)
#18 – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (LISA FRANKENSTEIN)
#17 – MAXXXINE (SHERYL)
#16 – CUCKOO (AMELIA’S CHILDREN)
#15 – 15 CAMERAS (MIDNIGHT PEEPSHOW)
#14 – DO NOT DISTURB (KILL YOUR LOVER)
#13 – WHERE THE DEVIL ROAMS (HELL HOLE)
#12 – ALIEN: ROMULUS (INFESTED)
#11 – HELL HOUSE LLC ORIGINS: THE CARMICHAEL MANOR (V/H/S/85)
#10 – STOP MOTION (MONOLITH)
#9 – IN A VIOLENT NATURE (HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS)
#8 – THE COFFEE TABLE (HANDLING THE UNDEAD)
#7 – THE FIRST OMEN (IMMACULATE)
#6 – ODDITY (EXHUMA)
#5 – LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL (I SAW THE TV GLOW)
#4 – WHEN EVIL LURKS (THE DEMON DISORDER)
#3 – LONGLEGS (LOVE LIES BLEEDING)
#2 – STRANGE DARLING (SASQUATCH SUNSET)