Vivo (2021)
Animated Musical/Talking Monkey
Animated film about a talking and singing monkey from Cuba that travels to the US on a quest
Films of 2020
Alien Outbreak (2020)
Alien Invasion/Mass Insanity Outbreak
Fine little film about an invasion of dog-like alien robots and an outbreak of mass insanity that drives people to kill themselves, this does great things on next to nothing
Relic (2020)
Mysterious Happenings in a House
A beautiful slow burn of a film that avoids almost any labels one tries to apply. It could be a film about dementia, it starts out seeming like a work about a haunted house but refuses to adhere to any of the tropes and instead heads for a remarkable and unique place of its own
Palm Springs (2020)
Timeloop Comedy
Variation on the Groundhog Day timeloop theme, this has two people trapped on the same day at a wedding. Of all the copies, this is a delight that has a really hilariously madcap creativity
Peninsula (2020)
Train to Busan Sequel/Zombie Film
Yeon Sang-ho makes a sequel to his international breakout zombie film hit of Train to Busan, appropriating the basics of Escape to New York to good ends
The Plot Against America (2020)
Alternate History
You might be inclined to dismiss on the basis of its title as some of lunatic fringe YouTube conspiracy video. But what we actually have is a strong and powerfully written alternate history mini-series based around the idea of Charles Lindbergh becoming US President in 1940 and the country’s subsequent slide into fascism
Possessor (2020)
Bodyhopping Assassins
The second film from Brandon Cronenberg, a fascinatingly original work about body-hopping assassins
Project Power (2020)
Superpower Drug
Suffering superhero fatigue from screens overwhelmed with Marvel and DC adaptations? This is one of the most original superhero treatments in some time, concerning a drug that give the user superpowers for five minutes only
Proximity (2020)
UFOs and Alien Abduction
Cheaply made and frequently unintentionally hilarious variant on UFO conspiracies that wheels out all the usual cliches – alien implants, the Men in Black, recovered memories etc
A Quiet Place Part II (2020)
Survivors Unable to Make a Sound in the Aftermath of an Invasion
The first A Quiet Place was No 1 on this site’s Best of 2018 list. John Krasinski still pulls off great set-pieces a second time but reveals the pitfalls of trying to extrude a premise to make a sequel
Re-Elected (2020)
Zombies of US Presidents
Horror comedy about an attack by the zombies of resurrected former US Presidents
The Reckoning (2020)
Witch Persecutions
A few years ago, Neil Marshall seemed a major genre director on the rise with The Descent. Here he returns with a film about the historic witch persecutions
Rent-a-Pal (2020)
Sinister Video Friend
Horror film about a downtrodden man tending a dementia-ridden mother who encounters a video friendship service where Wil Wheaton proves a cheery but increasingly disturbing new best friend
P.G. Psycho Goreman (2020)
Kids Befriend Evil Intergalactic Tyrant
The great and underrated Steven Kostanski makes another of his homages to the 1980s VHS era. This has a winning concept where kids befriend an intergalactic dark lord
The Rental (2020)
Guilty Secrets and a Lurking Psycho on a Weekend Getaway
James Franco’s younger brother Dave makes a very impressive directorial debut in a taut psycho-thriller of sharp adept twists about two couples whose weekend getaway is torn asunder by guilty secrets and a lurking psycho
Rogue (2020)
Killer Lion
Megan Fox is the leader of a troupe of mercenaries (!) conducting a hostage extraction from rebel territory as they come under attack by a killer lion
Rondo and Bob (2020)
Documentary About Rondo Hatton and Robert Burns
A documentary about Rondo Hatton, the 1940s horror actor who suffered acromegaly, and Robert Burns, the eccentric art director from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Run. (2020)
Wheelchair-Ridden Teen Imprisoned by a Psycho Mother
Well constructed thriller where a wheelchair-confined teenager discovers that her mother is up to sinister purpose and attempts to escape despite her lack of mobility
Sacrilege (2020)
Folk Horror
Folk Horror is a term that has emerged as a distinct genre of its own in recent years; this is a B-budgeted attempt to join the bandwagon
Save Yourselves! (2020)
Hipsters Face Alien Invasion Comedy
Comedy that comes comes with a winning concept – clueless hipsters try to get away from their social media devices for a weekend only to find the Earth has been invaded by aliens
Scoob! (2020)
Ghostbusting Team/Hanna-Barbera Crossover
An animated film revival of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? This also makes an misguided attempt to build a shared universe among assorted Hanna-Barbera characters
Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
Gremlins on a Plane
Chloe Grace Moretz stars in a quite reasonable WWII-set story about gremlins amok aboard a plane
#ShakespearesShitstorm (2020)
Bad Taste Shakespeare Parody/Troma Film
Troma launch into their parody of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, producing what may be their bad taste masterpiece to date
Shirley (2020)
Horror Author Biopic
A biopic based on the life of horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson, best known as the author of the novel that became The Haunting/The Haunting of Hill House. Elisabeth Moss goes mad with entertaining regard
Siberia (2020)
Surreal Journey
From cult director Abel Ferrara, a film described as being being about the language of dreams in which Willem Dafoe drifts through a series of surreal landscapes searching for the meaning of life
The Pale Door (2020)
Western/Town of Witches
Weird Western where a group of outlaws on the run end up in a town of witches
Ouija Shark (2020)
Ghostly Killer Shark
Another in the spate of deliberately ridiculous killer shark films concerning a ghost shark that emerges from an ouija board
The Owners (2020)
Home Invasion/Sinister Occupants
Maisie Williams and an aging Sylvester McCoy in a film about house burglars who break in to a home to discover sinister things afoot
Minor Premise (2020)
Scientist Creates a Machine That Splits His Personality
Fascinating film that conjures something of Primer in which a scientist creates a machine that splits his personality into ten parts
LX 2048 (2020)
Future Cloning and Virtual Reality
A film I went into with no expectation that quickly creates a fascinating future and offers some ingeniously original treatments of cloning and Virtual Reality themes
Mandibles (2020)
Gonzo Comedy/Men Find a Giant Fly
Another of Quentin Dupieux’s bizarrely deadpan comedies in which two amiable idiots discover a fly that is about the size of a dog
Marionette (2020)
Reality Bender
Film about a psychiatrist dealing with a boy who appears to be able to cause things to happen. All before things get really weird
Markham (2020)
H.P. Lovecraft Homage
British-made homage to H.P. Lovecraft that has some of the most stunning black-and-white photography seen in some time but I am still trying to puzzle out what the film was actually about
Max Reload and the Nether Blasters (2020)
Videogamers vs Unleashed Demonic Entity
Videogamers fight a demonic entity unleashed from a 1980s game. A film that is far more fun that you expect and comes loaded with videogaming in-jokes
May the Devil Take You: Chapter Two (2020)
Possessed Dead in an Abandoned Orphanage
May the Devil Take YouThe Evil Dead. Here Timo Tjajjanto makes a sequel and goes absolutely demented
Mayflower II (2020)
Christians Launch a Space Mission
An hilariously bad film in which Christians launch a space mission to flee a Bible-censoring dystopia on Earth
Meander (2020)
Mysterious Labyrinth
This may be the most claustrophobic film ever made about a woman trapped inside a labyrinth of narrow tunnels and crawlspaces that house a series of death traps
Meteor Moon (2020)
The Moon on a Collision Course with the Earth/Disaster Movie
The Asylum’s mockbuster version of Moonfall. This plays a ridiculous premise with an often ingenious and highly entertaining absurdity and actually proves a far more entertaining than its bigger budgeted model
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Last Man on Earth Tries to Communicate with a Space Mission
George Clooney starred in Gravity and now directs/stars in his own scientifically grounded space film about the last man trying to communicate with a surviving space mission following a catastrophe event on Earth
Monster Hunter (2020)
Videogame Adaptation/Monster-Filled Other Dimension
Resident Evil series director Paul W.S. Anderson and star Milla Jovovich return with an adaptation of another popular videogame series
The Silencing (2020)
Hunt for a Serial Killer
Thriller where Nikolaj Coster Waldau is the alcoholic manager of a game preserve who becomes drawn in to the search for a serial killer who hunts girls
Mortal (2020)
Man with Godlike Powers
The director of The Troll Hunter returns with a stunningly shot film about a mystery man with godlike powers
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (2020)
Animation/Interdimensional Combat/Videogame Adaptation
An animated film revival of the Mortal Kombat videogame franchise. This does a quite reasonable reworking of the basics, while leaving you blown away with the ultra-violent excesses of the action
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To (2020)
Kitchen Sink Vampire Film
In the best tradition of George Romero’s Martin, a kitchen sink vampire film focused around a family trying to protect a sickly sibling
The New Mutants (2020)
Comic-Book Superheroes
What will be the very last of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films, this is more like a superheroic version of The Breakfast Club than any of the other X-Men films
The Night (2020)
Haunted Hotel
Modestly effective Iranian horror film where a married couple become trapped in a hotel of shifting realities. One of the few films that favourably compares to the mood of The Shining
The Night House (2020)
Haunting
Rebecca Hall gives a standout performance in an eerie ghost story about a woman possibly haunted and discovering disturbing things in the aftermath of her husband’s death
Nocturne (2020)
Rivalry Between Sisters at a Music School/Occult Spell
The best of the Welcome to Blumhouse films set among the rivalry of two sisters at a highly competitive music school where one gets an occult text allowing her an advantage
Notzilla (2020)
Japanese Monster Movie Parody
A really funny parody of Japanese monster movies. Sublimely silly nonsense
The Occupant (2020)
Psycho Ex-Tenant
Spain’s Pastor Brothers have been rising genre name in the last few years. This is a psycho film concerning an unemployed man forced out of his apartment who returns to manipulate the life of the new tenant
The Old Guard (2020)
Immortal Mercenaries
Huge Netflix hit adapted from a comic-book about a team of immortal mercenaries
Onward (2020)
Pixar Animation/Alternate Present Inhabited by Magic Creatures
The 22nd animated film from Pixar and also the least successful (being released only a week before theatrical chains closing down due to Coronavirus). This has an appealingly quirky and original concept not unakin to Bright that takes place in an alternate reality where magic creatures live in a world akin to our own
Side Effect (2020)
Witch’s Spell
Another work of Russian dark fantasy where a man asks a witch for a spell to help his wife, only to get very different results than intended
Sky Sharks (2020)
Nazi Zombies on Flying Sharks
This has been conceived as the ultimate modern exploitation film featuring Nazi zombie piloting flying sharks. Think Iron Sky by way of Sharknado. The results are highly entertaining
Skull: The Mask (2020)
Possessed Skull
Brazilian film about a possessed skull that inhabits a man to lay a gore-drenched trail across the city
The Watch (2020)
Terry Pratchett Adaptation
Mini-series based on the works of Terry Pratchett that feels as though it is made, designed and cast by people who haven’t even read the books
Trump vs The Illuminati (2020)
Gonzo Satire/Trump's Clone Fight The Devil in Space
A clone of Donald Trump battles The Illuminati and the Egyptian god Anubis on Mars before travelling to Hell to sort out The Devil. The sheer dementia of the premise alone has one sitting down to watch
Tune Into the Future (2020)
Hugo Gernsback Documentary
A documentary about Hugo Gernsback, the man who coined the term science-fiction and shaped the genre in its infancy
The Turning (2020)
Ghost Story
Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw is considered one of the greatest of all ghost stories. This new film version has been placed in the hands of Floria Sigismondi, considered one of top contemporary music video directors. What could possibly go wrong?
Two of Us (2020)
Zombie Film
Thai-made film that gives off some initial The Quiet Earth vibes as two girls enjoy a private paradise in a holiday resort following the collapse of civilisation
2067 (2020)
Time Portal
Australian film in which Kodi Smit-McPhee heads through a time portal to save a polluted world resulting in a time paradox that ties back to his childhood. This had promise but badly lets down on its premise
Underwater (2020)
Monster Underwater
Throwback to late 80s/early 90s films like The Abyss and Sphere with the crew of a sub-oceanic station fighting off a monster. Generic in plot terms bit directorially this is an intense and claustrophobic ride
Unhinged (2020)
Road Rage Psycho
The first film to go into wide US release during Covid lockdown with Russell Crowe snapping and turning psycho after a road rage incident. Much better than the lukewarm reception it received, this is a quite reasonable variant on Duel
Vampires vs. The Bronx (2020)
Vampires Invade the Neighbourhood
Essentially a US version of Attack the Block with vampires instead of aliens, this is a smart, fun effort that adapts the vampire film to local hood culture
Vicious Fun (2020)
Support Group for Serial Killers
Horror comedy set around the wonderfully appealing idea of a support group for serial killers
Wait, Wait, Don’t Kill Me (2020)
Zombie Outbreak
Film about a virus that causes people to become dehydrated and turn into zombies
We Can Be Heroes (2020)
Kid Superheroes
Robert Rodriguez appears to have gotten the oversized non-event that was Alita: Battle Angel out of his system by making another of his seat of the pants home movies – this is less Spy Kids than Superhero Kids – and brings back one element Alita forgot, a sense of fun
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (2020)
Kid Detective and His Imaginary Polar Bear Companion
This must have been a marketing nightmare for Disney – a film about a kid who operates as a private detective along with his polar bear imaginary companion. The result has an oddball charm
We Hunt Together (2020)
Lovers on a Killing Spree
BBC mini-series about two lovers on a killing spree that works through some great performance and engaging character arcs
Wendy (2020)
Modernised Peter Pan Retelling
Director Benh Zeitlin made an extraordinary debut with Beasts of the Southern Wild. In his follow-up, he does striking things in making a modernised Peter Pan and transplanting the story to Louisiana
A Werewolf in England (2020)
19th Century Werewolf Film
Director Charlie Steeds creates a modest film set in 19th Century England about people at an inn as it comes under attack by werewolves
A Whisker Away (2020)
Anime/Girl Transforms Into a Cat
A sweet and quite lovely anime where a girl befriends the boy she pines after being offered a mask that transforms her into a cat body – only to then have her own body stolen
The Widow (2020)
Woods Haunted by a Witch
Russian dark fantasy and horror has emerged as one of the most exciting genres in recent years. This incredibly spooky little film is a Russian equivalent of The Blair Witch Project
The Witches (2020)
Evil Witches/Roald Dahl Adaptation
Robert Zemeckis’s remake of the Roald Dahl story and Nicolas Roeg film proves a head-scratching effort that misfires on almost every cue
Witness Infection (2020)
Mafia Zombies Comedy
Unexpectedly rather funny comedy that combines Mafia on a witness protection program and zombies
The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)
Possible Werewolf Murders
Film about a small Utah town facing a series of werewolf attacks that works surprisingly well due to a series of witty and well-rounded characterisations
WolfWalkers (2020)
Animation/Werewolves
The third film from Irish animator Tomm Moore, a beautiful Princess Mononoke-like tale of a girl’s friendship with persecuted werewolves in the forest
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Comic-Book Superheroine
The much-anticipated sequel to the Gal Gadot starring Wonder Woman is a mixed success partly due to a plot centred around a magic wishing stone
The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity (2020)
Wu Xia Film
Wu Xia film with exquisitely polished blend of CGI and visuals, this rather intriguingly operates as a blend of Wu Xia and murder mystery
Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)
Monster Movie
After thirty years, the Tremors series has held up much better than most other monster series. This is the seventh and what would seem to be the last of the films
This Was America (2020)
Near-Future Totalitarian USA
A film that offers the depiction of a totalitarian future USA where Donald Trump has refused to leave office. This was made at the end of Trump’s first term and before his second term return to power.
#Alive (2020)
Korean Zombie Film
A charming and delightful South Korean zombie film about the friendship that grows across the gap separating them between a nerd trapped in an apartment and a girl in the building opposite during a zombie outbreak
Sputnik (2020)
Cosmonaut Returns Infected by a Parasitic Alien Organism
Strong intelligent SF film where a cosmonaut returns from a space mission with an alien parasite attached. On one level, not too different to a host of Alien copies but the difference is all in the approach
Slaxx (2020)
Possessed Jeans
A horror film about a pair of possessed jeans!
Smiley Face Killers (2020)
True Crime/Cult of Mysterious Killers
A film based on the so-called Smiley Face Killings, a series of theorised true-life serial killings. With a script by Bret Easton Ellis of American Psycho fame
Songbird (2020)
Plague-Ridden Future
Film shot during the pandemic lockdown from Michael Bay’s production company set in a future where Covid has become even more virulent
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Videogame Adaptation/Supersonic Alien Hedgehog
After a disastrous fan reception of its initial trailer, the film of the videogame arrives on screen. The surprise is that for such a zero expectation film and one that defies the engagement of any of your braincells it is as much fun as it is.
Soul (2020)
Pixar Animation/Man Tries to Return from the Afterlife
Pixar film with a head-scratchingly odd plot but also one of the better efforts of the divided post-2010 period that goes a long way towards recapturing the things they did so well in their heyday
Spare Parts (2020)
Girl Punk Band Become Gladiators with Weapons Attachments
I was sold from the point of reading the premise where an all-girl punk band is abducted, surgically given weapons attachments and forced to fight in an arena
The Special (2020)
Man Becomes Sexually Obsessed with a Mysterious Box
Film about a man who develops an obsession with a mysterious black box that gives him the best sex of his life
Spell (2020)
Backwoods Voodoo
Bizarrely overwrought film in which a successful city lawyer is made prisoner by a backwoods voodoo priestess
Spiritwalker (2020)
South Korean Gangster/Bodyswap Film
A conceptually intriguing cross between the bodyswap film and the South Korean gangster film
Spontaneous (2020)
Exploding Teenagers Comedy
Witty and really hilarious film about a high school class where teens begin randomly exploding. With great performances and writing that is a delight to the ears
The Stand (2020-2021)
Showdown Between the Forces of Good and Evil After the Collapse of Civilisation/Stephen King Adaptation
The Stand is in my opinion Stephen King’s greatest book. The question is whether this new mini-series version will improve on the laughably failed 1994 version
The Third Day (2020)
Folk Horror
TV mini-series that borrow much from The Wicker Man in a complex and fascinating story about the discovery of folk religion on a small island
Stay Out of the Fucking Attic (2020)
Nazi Mad Scientist
A team of house movers find they are working for infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele who has an attic full of deformed mutations
Subferatu (2020)
Vampire on a German U-Boat Comedy
Comedy about a shipwrecked crew that are rescued by a German U-boat that is carrying a vampire on board
The Superdeep (2020)
Monster in the Depths
Standout Russian SF/horror that undeniably captures something of The Thing with scientists encountering a monster in the depths of a deep drilling project
Superintelligence (2020)
Artificial Intelligence Comedy
We have had some standout A.I. films in the last few years. This is comedy variant where Melissa McCarthy is befriended by an A.I. who adopts the voice of James Corden
Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)
Comic-Book Superhero/Animation
Fine animated film that traces Superman’s early years – Superman: Year One if you like – as we see pieces of the mythos coming together