As a bonafide horror supergeek, 2016 was a phenomenal year. Aside from a collection of great films, horror has dominated TV and pop culture as well, with hit shows like The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, Scream Queens and Black Mirror. While horror fans are usually passionate about their genre, sometimes to a fault, a shocking thing happened this year. More than a few mainstream horror films received critical acclaim. Plus, between the countless streaming services out there, horror films are now more readily accessible than ever before. I was also privileged to attend two horror film festivals in New York, FEARnyc and the New York City Horror Film Festival, where I took in countless new independent feature-length and short horror films.

So, without further ado, I present my list of the Top 10 Horror Movies of 2016 (and some honorable mentions) below.

The Summer of 2016 is over and the Fall movie season is upon us. As the studios and indies prepare to unleash the prestige pictures and family friendly blockbusters they have been holding on for this moment, I’m taking a look back at the ten best films I’ve seen so far this year. Please bear in mind that there are titles like The Neon Demon and Hell or High Water that I would love to see, but have not yet received the opportunity to do so. Who knows? They might just make my end of the year list. But, for now, here’s my picks for the 10 Best Movies of 2016 … So Far.

Best known for playing a young Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek franchise and for roles in films such as Terminator Salvation and Green Room, actor Anton Yelchin died this morning. He was 27.

The cause of Yelchin’s death, according to his representative, was a fatal traffic collision at his San Fernando Valley home. The rep stated, “His family requests you respect their privacy at this time.”

Green Room
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Screenwriter: Jeremy Saulnier
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner, Patrick Stewart
Distributor: A24 Films
Rated R | 95 Minutes
Release Date: April 29, 2016

“Now, whatever you saw or did. Is no longer my concern. But let’s be clear. It won’t end well.”

Assault on Precinct 13 meets American History X in Green Room, the latest nerve-shattering cinematic experience from writer-director Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin). This brilliantly crafted bloodbath is the very definition of “splatterpunk.”

The Ain’t Rights, a hardcore punk band comprised of singer Tiger (Callum Turner), guitarist Sam (Alia Shawkat), bassist Pat (Anton Yelchin), and drummer Reece (Joe Cole), are touring the Pacific Northwest, siphoning gas to make it from one shitty gig to another.

The official red band trailer has been released for Green Room, a new horror thriller from the writer and director of the excellent 2013 film Blue Ruin, Jeremy Saulnier.

The movie follows a punk rock band who find themselves hunted by a group of neo-Nazis after they witness a horrifically violent act at a secluded venue. It stars Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Callum Turner, Mark Webber, and geek god Patrick Stewart working in evil mode.

You can check out the NSFW red band trailer for Green Room below.