12 Brilliant Recent Horror Movies That Shocked Everyone
We definitely didn't see these gems coming...
The past couple of years have seen an influx in horror films unafraid to twist the usual conventions. Even remakes or reimaginings of classic tropes have come with some risky decisions that surprised reviewers and audiences alike.
Some have been shadowed by misfortune during their production, or taken so long to get off the ground that it's just amazing they managed to get to the release date in the first place. More recently, we've seen movies get all the way through these hurdles only to fall at the final one: this global pandemic's affect on cinema screenings means that a lot have been sadly relegated to straight-to-stream fixtures.
Thankfully, a fair few have navigated the perils of the industry to pull off some devilishly captivating horrors. We've been gripped, terrified, and shocked in ways hitherto unseen cinematic choices - some of which may have changed the horror genre for good.
So buckle up for this ride - and when you're done, there's some good news! Most of these are available to stream somewhere. You know, if you have time to kill.
12. The Platform (2019)
The release of Spanish politically-fueled horror The Platform on Netflix in February coinciding with a global pandemic is quite fitting when you think about it.
The film follows one man trying to survive in "The Pit." In this mysterious social experiment/prison alternative, two roommates are allocated one floor in a multistory building. The only source of food is via a levitating platform that descends daily through the immensely tall structure.
At the top of the tower, immaculate food is prepared by chefs with access to inordinate amounts of the best produce. They put a veritable feast on the platform - the idea being that if each floor were to take a reasonable portion each, there'd be enough for all 333 floors. That's just a pipedream, though, as the food is so unfairly distributed that those below a certain point get only an empty platform. Everyone is too greedy or too starved to care about those beneath them.
Is the metaphor a bit heavy-handed? Yes. Does that make it any less thought-provoking and eye-opening? Absolutely not. Protagonist Goreng really is just your average bloke, but he sees the injustice perpetuated within the tower and wants desperately to do something about it. But on the lower levels, change is impossible to implement without those above him listening. Sound familiar?