2021, also known as Year 3 since the virus hit, was yet another challenging year for filmmakers. Despite the glooming numbers in the statistics for the Covid-19 pandemic, creatives got down to work and brought us some great fiction to sink our teeth into and distract us from the horrors of the real world. Following government restrictions and guidelines, the traditional theater viewing experience was mostly replaced by online premieres and streaming service parties - and thus, we got to enjoy most of our 2021 horror straight from the couch, and in big amounts - with loads of snack breaks and interludes.
We've selected 3 pieces of horror fiction - a feature film, a trilogy and a mini-series - all guaranteed to glue you to your seat (or in this case, couch) and submerge you in a pool of terror, nostalgia and much much more.
Here are OCTOBRIA's Top 3 Picks for 2021:
1. Mike Flanagan's Midnight Mass (Mini-Series)
The ambitious horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan (Oculus 2013, Hush 2016, Gerald's Game 2017, Doctor Sleep 2019, Haunting of Hill House 2018-2020, Haunting of Bly Manor 2020) released another chilling mini-series in his partnership with Netflix. Midnight Mass hit the small screen in September 2021 and quickly climbed up the ranks of Netflix's highest-rated horror series.
The terrifying tale of an isolated island community that experiences miraculous events and frightening omens is an exhilarating thrill with a dark undertone, that will hook any viewer. The religious connotations and classical gothic horror symbolism work together to build a very intimate and deep-rooted feel to the mystery of the plot. What is more, the striking performances throughout, combined with the underlying terror of the story, keep the audience yearning for more.
Featuring horror talent Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Rahul Kohli, Hamish Linklater, Samantha Sloyan, Kristin Lehman, Annabeth Gish, Henry Thomas, and more.
Watch the Midnight Mass official trailer here:
2. James Wan's Malignant: A New Vision of Terror
Going back to the origins of the Italian slasher, James Wan gave us his original take on the Giallo film with Malignant: A New Vision of Terror. The famous horror director (Saw 2004, Insidious 2010, The Conjuring 2013) premiered his feature in September 2021 and surprised audiences who were led to expect yet another supernatural story based on the official trailer released by Warner Bros. The plot of a young woman who experiences shocking visions of horrific murders and uses her connection to the killings as a way to help prevent those evils from happening is filtered through the light-hearted motifs of the Giallo movement.
Unfortunately, Wan's playful methods of delivering the dramatic story were widely misinterpreted and many found the banal dialogs and large performances laughable - which evidently was not as far to the director's intent as we initially thought. After all, Malignant gave us something we didn't really expect to get from watching a horror film, but we desperately needed this year - a good laugh.
Featuring Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jake Abel, Susanna Thompson, and more.
Watch Malignant's official trailer here:
3. Leigh Janiak's Fear Street (Trilogy)
Upcoming horror director Leigh Janiak released her first horror trilogy Fear Street in partnership with Netflix over the summer of 2021. The films, based on R. L. Stine's original book series of the same title, follow the tropes of different horror subgenres and pay homage to numerous horror cinema masterpieces.
The story begins in 1994, in a familiar slasher format, introducing us to the central conflict between citizens of prospering Sunnyvale and those living in crime-ridden Shadyside - the two towns sharing a mysterious history revolving around a witch's curse. As blood starts spilling on the streets, and killers are set on the loose, we travel back to 1976, and again to 1666, to learn about the evil that haunts this land and find a way to put those horrors to rest.
Featuring horror's rising Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Fred Hechinger, Julia Rehwald, Benjamin Flores Jr., Ashley Zukerman, Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Gillian Jacobs, and more.
Watch Fear Street's official trailer here:
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