Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.
Best Horror/Thriller Movie
- Gone Girl
- Horns
- Nightcrawler
- The Purge: Anarchy
- Under the Skin
WINNER – Horns
Horns is a seemingly unlikely pick for the best horror movie of 2014, but it was able to steal the win by being by far the most dynamic movie in its category this year. It’s not traditionally scary, or even gory – and it certainly doesn’t fit the whole torture porn thing that is so damn popular these days, but it’s thrilling and plays on the human fears of losing someone you love and the monster that you can turn into through the need for vengeance. In my opinion it at least had a beautiful and happy ending. What this movie really had going for it (other than Daniel Radcliffe *swoon*) is that it told a great love story, that just so happened to include demons, devils, and sociopaths. In a year of horror/thrillers that relied on blood and torture Horns had layers, and emotion and someone who actually knows how to write (Joe Hill) at its helm. We’d all be lucky if a new trend in horror started because of the impact Horns made. – Keriann
Second Place – Nightcrawler
Louis Bloom gets by stealing and scavenging until he picks up a video camera and a police scanner. Bloom, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is dark and intense, which is what Gyllenhaal does best. He starts to chase terrible accidents and crimes happening while the rest of us sleep. He pushes the boundaries every night to get bigger and better shots. Renee Ruso is a local news producer trying to raise her station’s rating so she employees Gyllenhaal. Ruso is fantastic and equally as intense as Gyllenhaal, which is hard to do. They’re both characters I wouldn’t want to be left in a room alone with. I don’t like using clichés like “heart pounding,” but if the shoe fits… Nightcrawler isn’t a mile a minute thrill ride; however, it is an exceptional movie that deserves everyone’s consideration. – Scott
Third Place – The Purge: Anarchy
If you’re looking to really scare the crap out of people, prey on the fears that could most realistically happen. For this, The Purge: Anarchy has gripped onto our feeble minds and burrowed itself there for years to come. In this materialistic, reality-consumed America, the nation sacrifices one night each year to make all crime completely legal. You know, to get it out of our system. Nobody is safe, and nobody will help you. That is 100x scarier to me than an evil doll or serial killers wearing fox masks (“What Does the Fox Say?”). Creating a lot of buzz with such a low budget – Anarchy cleared over ten times its $9 million budget – you can be sure to see new installments of this every year. – Sherif
RUNNER UP – Gone Girl
This story doesn’t have a happy ending , that’s why I like this movie. Amy wants things to go back to the way they were. Nick, played by Ben Affleck, is scared to death of his wife, Amy, knowing she is over the top manipulative and just got away with murder. The story on paper is a mess but this movie is able to spin it all together so well into a cohesive story. There are a few plot holes but nothing too glaring. It’s a clever game of manipulation by almost every character in the movie .The underlying message I got from this movie was, don’t believe any narrative the media tries to shove down your throat, you don’t have a clue as to what’s really going on. – Shane
RUNNER UP – Under the Skin
I don’t think I like the movie. Sometimes when I think about it, I do. Maybe this is the brilliance of the film. It had a friend and I talking about it for hours afterward. I’m not a big fan of the ScarJo at all, but this role was perfect for her because she just has to do her equivalent of a Keanu Reeves Matrix stare. I would have liked more explanation and understanding what is going on with the character and why she is luring men back to this strange house in Ireland. At the same time the film treats you as if you’re part of her story and should already know what her story is. It’s an extreme version of the show over tell. I need to watch it a few more times to really explore the narrative. The most interesting and disturbing part of the film is the ending reveal. The alien inside the human suit is some cinematography genius. And if a film makes me watch it just to understand how I feel about it, then it’s done something right. – Jené
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