Outside the Top 5: 2020’s Runner’s Up
Crash’s Picks
Face Your Fears – An anthology only on Amazon Prime, these compelling horror stories were all top award winners at a film festival.
The Call – This South Korean entry tells the tale of Seo-Yeon, who lives in the present, and Young-Sook, who lives in the parts. And one phone call connects them…
Come to Daddy – Norval travels to a remote cabin on the coast to meet his father for the first time – and that’s the biggest mistake of his life.
The Dark and the Wicked – An older brother and sister, and a family on the brink of extinction. Enjoy the darkness, the wickedness, and the solid acting performances.
Dark Forces (Fuego Negro) – a surreal journey from Mexico as a criminal searches for his sister from the confines of an other-worldly hotel of mayhem.
Driven – A compelling low-budget horror/comedy that takes viewers on one wild ride as a demon hunter tries to save the world.
Gretel & Hansel – If you love the phallus and the yonic, it will be served to you on a twisted fairytale platter of artsiness.
His House – A refugee couple that survived the horror of war, try to ground themselves in the United Kingdom. But then they enter their new “home” and survivor’s guilt reigns supreme.
The Nothing – If you’re a writer and want to get down deep, you might do something dumb like this guy did. Note: Don’t go alone into the woods.
The Rental – On its own, this movie could put an end to the Air B&B craze. A strong cast in a story that sidesteps the tropes whenever it can.
Jonny’s Picks
Becky – While flawed, this film most encompasses the blind rage that permeated 2020. Lulu Wilson is simply excellent as a tween driven to kill. Proper review at
1428 Elm.
The Dark and the Wicked – Bryan Bertino’s (The Strangers) anything-goes tale of supernatural happenings and sibling guilt soars thanks to fine performances and unpredictable plot turns.
Extra Ordinary – Delightful Irish horror-comedy pokes fun at possession tropes, but resonates with heartfelt emotion.
Fulci for Fake – The life of controversial Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci is examined through a series of subjective interviews with family, peers, and scholars. An intriguing pseudo-documentary. Proper review at
1428 Elm.
Gretel & Hansel – A powerful, introspective coming-of-age tale from the great Oz Perkins. Proper review for
Crash Palace.
His House – Potent story of assimilation, cast-off glances, and how tenuous “freedom” can be when mired in guilt. Bursting at the seams with compelling metaphorical imagery (take note, Jordan Peele).
Hunter Hunter – One family’s fight for survival and sustainability in a world that takes, often in the cruelest possible ways. Devon Sawa and Nick Stahl log solid performances, but Camille Sullivan and Summer H. Howell are Hunter Hunter‘s heart and soul.
The Invisible Man – For every pandering dud from Blumhouse, they occasionally pull off something special. Leigh Whannell’s resurrection of the iconic Universal Monster is packed with contemporary relevance and impactful shocks. Stellar work from Elisabeth Moss (per the usual).
The Rental – Dave Franco’s feature directorial debut subverts horror and thriller mechanics in consistently clever ways. A deliberate build-up gives us time to get cozy with the appealing ensemble (Dan Stevens; Alison Brie; Sheila Vand) before the terror kicks in.
We Summon the Darkness – A much better Satanic-panic offering than 2019’s Satanic Panic. A meet-cute of male and female metalheads before a show leads to a reverse-home-invasion night of horror. Who knew Johnny Knoxville could be so menacing?
The Plot Sickens: Jonny Numb goes through The Honeymoon Phase!
Crash Analysis Support Team
Jonny Numb
Jonny Numb (aka Jonathan Weidler) is pretty tired of everything, but still manages to co-host The Last Knock and review horror stuff at Crash Palace Productions.
Billy Crash
Also known as William D. Prystauk, he loves great, in-depth characters and storytelling in horror, and likes to see heads roll, but if you kill a dog on screen he’ll cry like a baby. Crash, an award-winning screenwriter and novelist, co-hosts THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast on iTunes, and can also be found on Twitter, LinkedIn, IMDb, Amazon, Behance, YouTube, and Instagram. He’s currently in pre-production on a dramatic thriller feature while working on the third novel in his #KinkNoir crime thriller series.
THE LAST KNOCK horror podcast is a Crash Palace Productions’ featured show. Besides this site, you can find THE LAST KNOCK on iTunes with new shows posted every other Sunday at 9 PM ET.
Crash Palace Productions website design and creation from Brian Yount Digital Enterprises with banner and THE LAST KNOCK art from Palko Designs. Logo designs from Paul Belci.
(For Outside the Top 5: The Dark and the Wicked Image from Geek Tyrant.)
