Wan earned Malignant, and we deserve Malignant.
Wan embraces camp, randomness, and unpredictability, which is so much fun to behold. In a time where horror’s so reliant on trends like haunted house crazes after The Conjuring or trauma-based storytelling after Hereditary, Malignant defies all expectations. There’s bone-snapping action, gothic dread, Giallo lighting, and plenty of blood - a bit undefinable, but that’s why people love Malignant. Jame Wan’s throwback to late 90s, early 00s horror where anything goes takes huge scripted swings on a studio budget. If I didn’t put Malignant on this list, I feel like there’d be a riot. Stars: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young.See our guide to the Resident Evil movies in order.
Rest in peace, James Shade (played by Colin Salmon) - sliced and cubed by Umbrella's laser defense system and forever seared into my mind. Anderson's vision is an action-horror take on Resident Evil that's filled with excitement, and while it might be scarcer on terrifying scares, that matters less as Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, and other performers kick plenty of undead butts. Milla Jovovich's Alice leads us into the zombified battleground of Umbrella's doomsday apocalypse, filled with T-Virus vials and salivating Lickers. Anderson's Resident Evil might take liberties with Capcom's famous video game franchise, but that doesn't make it a failure. Stars: Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Eric Mabius, Colin Salmon.Would we even have last year’s Thanksgiving if X didn’t prove that mainstream audiences are still hungry for slashers that aren’t tied to famous franchises? Resident Evil (2002) It’s a throwback slasher under the scorching Texas heat with contemporary mindsets that highlight bodily autonomy and sex work, proving how the slasher subgenre can thrive by today’s socially conscious standards. All eyes are on Mia Goth as aspiring adult film star Maxine and elderly farm owner Pearl, playing both protagonist and antagonist with ease. X is not only a tremendous original slasher, but one that defied popular studio approaches to horror filmmaking. Ti West might have driven a stake to the heart of horror’s major “Trauma Horror” movement that became popular after Hereditary. Stars: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow, Scott Mescudi.This article is frequently amended to remove films no longer on Netflix and to include more horror movies that are now available on the service. Some titles may not currently be available on international platforms. His favorite movie of all time is Heathers.Please note: This list pertains to U.S. On the airwaves, Josh reviews movies weekly in Las Vegas on KTNV Channel 13 and Highway Radio, and he co-hosts the podcast Awesome Movie Year with comedian Jason Harris. He's a member of the Critics Choice Association, the Television Critics Association, and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society. He reviews movies and TV series for CBR, The Inlander, and Crooked Marquee, and has archived 2,000-plus reviews at Rotten Tomatoes. He eventually worked as the film editor for Las Vegas Weekly from 2009-2018, while also working as the TV comedies guide for the pioneering (and now defunct) online outlet from 2008-2013.Īs a freelance writer, Josh has written about movies, TV and pop culture for Vulture, Polygon, Inverse, New Scientist, and more. He started his career as an intern at Las Vegas Weekly, where his first professional movie review was Reign of Fire, starring Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, and CGI dragons.
Josh Bell is a freelance writer and movie/TV critic based in Las Vegas.