We did it folks! We survived another crazy year, that had a few high moments as well as a few not so great moments. We were back in theaters (sort of), and then Omnicron variant hit, and we are still in theaters, although perhaps with a little hesitation. With my handy A-List status at my local AMC theater, I was able to increase the number of new movies I saw in 2021 to 53 (I hit 42 in 2020). What did I learn this year? Well, I missed the theater experience, thankfully I had a great experience with one of the movies in my top ten list. Streaming continues to be a dominant force; some movies don’t necessarily need to be seen on a big screen, but still plenty new releases were enhanced by going to the theaters again. For 2020, I got a little crazy and added a +1 to my Top Ten list, because I had a hard time with picking the movie to grab that #10 spot. It did happen again this year, so I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to my honorable mention, Mortal Kombat. It finally gave us the R-rated version with all of the violence and gore, with a story that was lacking at many angles, but not all movies need to be Oscar winners. So with no further delay, let’s get to my Top Ten Movies of 2021.

Do You See What I See?, a Christmas-themed horror short, has been released for free online and can be viewed in full here below.

The Canadian production, written and directed by Justin McConnell & Serena Whitney, played this year at over 20 festivals worldwide , including Frightfest, Monster Fest, Toronto After Dark, Morbido, and more. The story sees two sisters (Jorja Cadence & Caleigh Le Grand) at a Christmas “ugly sweater” house party when a masked invader turns the holiday gathering into a deadly affair.

Night of Something Strange
Written by Jonathan Straiton & Ron Bonk & Mean Gene
Directed by Jonathan Straiton
Starring Rebecca C. Kasek, Trey Harrison, Wayne W Johnson, Toni Ann Gambale, Michael Merchant, John Walsh, Tarrence Taylor, Nicola Fiore, Janet Mayson, Kirk LaSalle, Billy Garberina, Wes Reid, Brinke Stevens
Hurricane Bridge Entertainment
Release Date: November 22, 2016 (VOD)

In the glorious 1980s, horror movie fans found sanctuary in the aisles of video stores. Buried on shelves of VHS tapes you could find notorious “Video Nasties,” and I would spend hours pouring over the posters and tape boxes until finally choosing one. Last weekend at the New York City Horror Film Festival, I was reminded of those great days in my childhood that sadly my kids will likely never experience. I saw a poster for a film that looked cut and pasted out of my local 80s video store. It’s not every day you see a poster where a mutated tongue is coming out from between a woman’s legs… The film was Night of Something Strange, co-written and directed by Jonathan Straiton, and it was awarded Best Feature at the festival.

A Knock at the Door
Written & Directed by Katrina Rennells and Wendie Weldon
Starring Drew Jenkins, Kelley Mack, David Sullivan, Parker Mack
Not Rated | 8 Minutes
NY Premiere: November 10, 2016 (NYC Horror Film Festival)

Short films are important, and maybe no other genre is capable of getting to the point quickly like horror. The Saw franchise, which now contains 7 (!) films grossing almost $1 billion worldwide, is based on a short treatment by Leigh Whannell. Just this year, David F. Sandberg’s Lights Out grossed $141 million worldwide. That film was based on the 3-minute short Sandberg did back in 2013. Tonight, the NYC Horror Film Festival kicks off a 4-day extravaganza, and the short film A Knock at the Door is making its New York premiere there. The film is written, directed, and produced by an all-female team.

Halloweed
DVD | VOD
Directed by LazRael Lison
Written by Dale Zawada based on a story by Michael Bussan
Starring Shannon Brown, Simon Rex, Jim O’Heir, Michelle Mueller, Jayson Bernard, Ray Wise, Jason Mewes, Deje Dee, Lester Speight, Danny Trejo, Tom Sizemore
Screen Media Films
Runtime: 101 minutes
Release date: November 8, 2016

In Halloweed, a new horror-comedy from director LazRael Lison, Shannon Brown stars as Trent Modine, the son of the Bridgeport Butcher (Tom Sizemore), an infamous serial killer who’s on death row. To escape the stigma of their father’s legacy and make a better life for themselves, Trent and his idiotic half-brother Joey (Simon Rex) — lured by an infomercial — move to the small town of Mooseheart just in time for Halloween. As luck would have it, the place boasts some awesome weed, which is great for the two stoners, especially Joey, who immediately starts dealing. Unfortunately, this quiet little town also has a haunted reputation thanks to a string of unsolved murders committed long ago by the Candy Corn Killer, who seems to have made a return just as Trent and Joey arrive. Fearing they’ll be blamed for the latests string of murders, the brothers go on a hunt to find the real killer before the locals discover their true identities.