This past year was one of the best for horror. In the world of film there were big-budget blockbusters and critical and financial successes. On TV and the various streaming services we were treated to a bevy of soon-to-be classic series. Eli Roth hit it out of the park with his phenomenal History of Horror on AMC. Netflix went back to the Mike Flanagan well and struck gold again with The Haunting of Hill House. Hulu is releasing new horror films every month as part of their Into the Dark series, along with the Stephen King-inspired Castle Rock. Shudder is dominating the horror streaming world providing the horror fan the closest experience to walking the video store aisles (you’ll hear the words “Shudder Exclusive” a few times in this list). Speaking of Shudder, we got the epic return of Joe Bob Briggs, who did three separate Drive-In marathons for the network, breaking the internet with his first. We even got the return of horror-staple Fangoria magazine!

Compiling my top genre (horror/sci-fi/thriller/etc.) list of 2018 proved difficult. The original idea of a Top 10 quickly spiraled out of control and ballooned into a Top 20, plus Honorable Mentions. In an amazing coincidence, a ton of these films were done by first-time feature directors. So without further ado, let’s get to my list of Top 20 Horror & Genre Films of 2018.

Another year has come and gone. 2018 is a year I wish wouldn’t have ended simply because of the plethora of cinematic pleasure that it offered. The majority of the films on my best of the year list possessed an unceasing pursuit to locate and dissect deflated masculinity, crushed egos, and saying goodbye to the thing one loves most. Surprisingly, female directors had an enormous year in 2018 and they were at the forefront at perceiving that masculinity was in peril. Films such as Western, The Rider, You Were Never Really Here, Zama, and Private Life, all of which were directed by women, gave us a glimpse at what happens to a man when their masculinity is wounded. Egos were also susceptible to directors’ probing cameras this year, ripe for endless rumination. How can a priest continue to maintain a strong image when he’s slowly loosing his faith in First Reformed? The women in The Favourite care tremendously about their image and position, and will do whatever it takes to maintain it. An aging director in The Other Side of the Wind does things only his way, hardly listening to anyone within his circle, and the results are catastrophic. And the madman at the center of The House that Jack Built has the biggest ego of all, which eventually paves his way to enter Hell.

Here are my Top 30 Movies of 2018…

2018 is over and as we head towards award season, it’s LIST TIME!!! This will not be a traditional Top 10 “Best of” list as there are plenty of Golden Globe nominees and potential Oscar contenders still on my must-see list. Instead this will be a straight up Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2018 list. I for one thought 2018 was a stellar year in film. A lifelong horror geek, my Top 10 horror list ballooned into a Top 25 extravaganza. Genre films did make my Top 10 favorites, but the list also features theatrical blockbusters, straight to Netflix offerings, and an incredible five films from first-time feature-length directors. Here we go!

Now that we’ve said goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019, it is time to dust off my list of 2018 movies to make my final picks for my best for the year. After making a list at the halfway point, I always like to see which movies lasted the whole year and which ones had to say good-bye. And with no further delay, here is my final Top 10 Movies Of 2018.

It’s that time of year again when critics release their top ten movies of the year. No list is really the same, but each is a glimpse of a critic’s tastes in movies. Some have a mix of blockbusters and indie films, others lean heavily towards the former or the latter. Whatever the case may be, we can all come to the conclusion that films are a means of an escape or to be entertained by. They help us grieve or express joy and love. Each year gives us such a variety of films that allows us to express those emotions.

But what makes this year extraordinary special is that it took a giant step forward for representation. Some of the best films showed us that anyone can wear the mask. Another celebrates a culture that has gone under-represented for far too long by using a familiar yet effective rom-com formula. Other films spoke out to send a clear message about injustice. Then there are the sequels that thoroughly entertained us after 10 years of franchise storytelling.

So while the best films of the year are a matter of opinion, below are my top ten favorite films of the year. Some of these films won’t appear on anybody’s list. Some won’t even be ranked the same. But these are the films that meant the most to me, and if you haven’t seen them, I hope my choices encourage you to do so. See below for my top 10 movies of 2018.